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From the mind of one of Britain’s premier TV documentarians comes All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace, a complex and free-associative exploration of humanity’s love affair with technology. Adam Curtis, a former lecturer of politics at the University of Oxford, has been well known for his unique style and the complexity of his arguments - showcased in the BBC series The Trap, The Century of the Self and the controversial BAFTA-winner The Power of Nightmares. He’s also a regular contributor to Charlie Brooker’s Newswipe. Curtis’ new series has been heavily (and cryptically) promoted by BBC2 in recent weeks - but what’s the story behind Machines?

Borrowing a title and theme from the cult poet Richard Brautigan, the series upends the assumption that computers and the internet have made our lives easier and more free. Curtis instead argues that subservience to machinery has warped our traditional view in society, impeding mankind’s progress by starving our capacity and desire for change. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Curtis argued that his goal for the series was no less than to “recapture the optimistic potential of politics to change the world”. No pressure.

The UK documentary Us Now paints a more optimistic portait of the technological revolution. Rather than changing the old order for the worse, the film argues that social networking and open source collaboration have left global citizens without the need for old systems. Furthermore, with the tools to create and modify our own content - entertainment, programs, communities - we’re slowly becoming active agents rather than passive consumers. From the online entrepeneurs behind Couchsurfing to the football team entirely owned and managed by its fans, Us Now brings the viewer into a brave new world of technological liberation. Has the internet revolution led us into a utopia or a dystopia? That’s for you to decide. All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace will be shown on BBC2 on Monday the 23rd of May; Us Now is available for streaming at Joining the Docs now.