I recently watched the Black Mirror episode titled Nosedive on Netflix, which depicts a world in which each of us is constantly rating one another on a five-point scale (just like Uber!). Post an Instagram-worthy photo of an adorable cookie and cappuccino? Five points. Smile at the barista who made it for you? Another five. Accidentally spill that coffee on a stranger while you're rushing to the airport? Zero points, your rating drops dramatically and life gets hard. (You get the picture.)

While the episode is more of a comment on our seemingly constant need for recognition on social media platforms, it also ties in nicely with many of the articles featured in this week's newsletter.

The first story, written by Sheryll Poe, takes a look at how facial recognition software is already being used at meetings and events, and how it might be used going forward. Read her story here. While this software has the ability to personalize meetings and events and actually help planners gauge attendee satisfaction, to a degree, we also have to wonder: Is that a good thing?

Given the recent news that facial recognition artificial intelligence is more accurate at determining a person's sexual orientation than humans are, that raises plenty more questions about privacy concerns and just how this type of technology can and should be used in the future.

One example Poe included in her piece was the use of a "Smile Swag" booth where attendees lined up and "smiled" for the camera in return for rewards. While I'm sure it certainly brightened up the mood of the event and gave people an actual reason to smile, I couldn't help but think of that Black Mirror episode and whether we might one day reach a point where we feel like we have to sport a smile 24/7, just for those ratings.

Influencer marketing has also become a hot topic as of late in the meetings world, and we've included some articles this week that look at that growing trend. Can social media influencers shape the meetings and events industry as they have in other realms, from fashion to food? Moreover, should they?