Netflix’s hit series Black Mirror evokes a wide array of emotions in its viewers. Most episodes are eerie thrillers reminiscent of the Twilight Zone, some are heartbreaking, and others are morbidly funny. But the real fear that exists in the show’s writing and cadence lies within the question “when will we see this type of tech in our lifetime?” The terrifying part? Some of that tech is being designed right now, while others already exist. Read on to find out more about Black Mirror tech that has already found its way into our world.

Rate The People You Meet With “Peeple,” An Eerie App That Has Led To Controversy

Released in 2015, Peeple is an app that allows you to rate the people you meet in real time, whether it’s personal, professional, or a romantic encounter. Sound familiar? That’s because it’s almost identical to the app used in Black Mirror’s first episode in season 3, “Nosedive.” Peeple allows you to recommend people you meet and rate them according to the interaction, just like this episode that focused heavily on vanity and the shaming of other people. Due to a backlash, the app has since pivoted to a more professional rating context, however, it is interesting to see someone designed an app like this to rate human interactions.

The Line Between Augmented Reality And “Reality” Gets Blurred Thanks to Magic Leap

One of Black Mirror’s most celebrated episodes, “San Junipero,” lets people live in a virtual world of their choosing. Timelines, outfits, and locations change according to a small, wearable device that alters the user’s perception of reality. Augmented reality is a huge theme throughout a litany of Black Mirror episodes, and Magic Leap wants to bring augmented reality to our reality. Designed as a mobile interface that projects notifications, desktop computers, laptops, and other media into a pair of AR sunglasses, Magic Leap strives to integrate the digital world into the real world. The device can integrate with your smartphone, allowing you to see notifications, calls, and videos in real time. It is currently in production but has raised hundreds of millions of dollars in funding. Will Magic Leap bring us closer to the world of Black Mirror?” Only time will tell.

See Through The Eyes Of Your Friends And Family With These Snapchat Sunglasses

We already can view memories and experiences with apps like Snapchat and Instagram, however, as consumers, we are separated from the experience because of our smartphones. The billion-dollar app Snapchat wants to integrate the “story” experience into every facet of our lives by placing a pair of sunglasses on user’s heads that allows them to record moments in real time, and wirelessly upload them to their stories. This type of user experience was a favorite theme in a few episodes of Black Mirror, and it seems that Snapchat wants to further integrate consumer’s digital lives into the real world.

Should You Be Afraid Of All This New Tech? Probably Not

If this surge in technology has you worried, fear not. Many of these inventions are a few years off, and most of them will be used to make the lives of creators and designers easier. The bleak and dreary world of Black Mirror is of course fiction, but it’s interesting to see the parallels between our world and the world of terrifying tech.