Domestic spaces in dystopian cinema: A semiotic analysis of the houses in the series Black Mirror

The impact of technological developments on social structures plays a decisive role not only in daily life practices but also in shaping the individual's relationship with the physical environment and spatial perception. In this context, cinema — particularly the dystopian genre — has become a powerful medium that reconstructs negative visions of the future through spatial representations. This study aims to examine how the concept of space is shaped within dystopian cinema. Focusing on the contemporary television series Black Mirror, the research analyzes how domestic spaces undergo transformation within dystopian narratives through a semiotic perspective. In this regard, the study reveals that the house, beyond being a shelter, embodies multiple layers of meaning, representing identity, freedom, and the individual's ideological relationship with the system. The thesis explores how domestic spaces in dystopian scenarios become instruments of control, surveillance, and psychological pressure. The research investigates the representation of domestic spaces in dystopian cinema and how these representations reflect the relationship between the individual, society, and technology. The main focus of the study is to analyze the impact of the digital age on the spatial configuration of domestic environments. Within this framework, the study discusses new forms of life emerging in the individual–dwelling–authority triad and how these are made visible through dystopian narratives. The introductory chapter outlines the purpose, scope, and methodology of the study. The second chapter examines semiotics as the main analytical method, presenting its key concepts and theoretical development. The research adopts Umberto Eco's approach to the relationship between architecture and the sign, as well as Roland Barthes' two levels of signification — denotation and connotation — as the basis for the analysis. Subsequent chapters explore the intersections of dystopia, cinema, architecture, and space, followed by a detailed semiotic analysis of domestic spaces depicted in Black Mirror. The semiotic approach, based on the assumption that architectural space can be read as a language, aims to uncover the structural and symbolic relationships embedded within. The findings indicate that in dystopian cinema, domestic spaces operate as instruments that shape individual identity, sustain social order, and legitimize technological control. The aesthetic construction of these spaces reproduces the values imposed by the system, while the individual's quest for freedom and belonging often remains suppressed. In conclusion, the study emphasizes that architecture should not be considered merely as a field of physical production but as one that must also be interpreted through its social, psychological, and ideological dimensions. In dystopian narratives, space mirrors the individual's inner world while simultaneously reflecting the external mechanisms of systemic control. Through a semiotic analytical approach, this research reinterprets the role of architectural space in meaning production within cinema, offering an interdisciplinary perspective.