Dissecting The Social Dilema

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic, Jeff Orlowski directed a documentary that shone a light on the dark side of social media. We live in an era where our lives are so intertwined with technology, we can't even see where one ends and the other begins. The Social Dilemma emerges, shedding light on the intricate web of algorithms, data collection, and digital manipulation that control our online existence. It is produced as a media horror movie, this documentary dives deep into the unseen parts of social media platforms, unraveling the huge impact they have on our society, psychology, and emotions.

The Social Dilemma paints a chilling picture of the online world, where our every click is meticulously tracked and monetized by corporate employees hiding behind screens. The documentary unveils the process employed to keep users hooked, encouraging addiction.

Corporations thrive by working against us. They use AI features to literally finish our sentences when we are searching on Google, or to recommend a video on YouTube to watch next to keep us hooked. They watch every move we make online, every post, website and video that we interact with. They know which platforms we spend the most time on, they know what types of notifications will get us to pick up our phones. They learn so much about us through this little device that eventually they can control it to do exactly what they want it to do, in order to manipulate us. One of the people interviewed explained it in a very compelling way. He said that it was like they have little voodoo dolls of every person in the world and it's their job to play with them and see what they can make them do. Someone else compared the digital world to "The Truman Show," essentially saying we have no control of our lives, we are just doing whatever these tech giants manipulate us into doing.

Don't get me wrong, I like social media as much as the next girl and it's definitely not all negative. Social media gives us a way to connect with people all over the world. To keep in touch with friends and family, to stay up to date on world events, even to be educated. Most people identify social media as a tool, which I agree with. The documentary said that a tool is defined as something that sits quietly until you need to use it, therefore social media would not qualify as a tool. This would be because social media is anything but quiet, it is in your face giving you notifications and begging you to log on any chance it can. Based on this definition, I would agree that social media doesn't qualify as a tool. However, I think that if people are educated and learn to use social media responsibly, then it is one of the most beneficial tools in the world. The problem is the way that the tech giants behind the screen use it to hurt us rather than help us.

This documentary was certainly eye opening. Did it convince me to delete social media? No. But, it was certainly educational in the sense that I feel more aware of the actions I make on my phone. There is always someone watching you. Literally. That is what stood out to me as something to make sure that I consider when spending time on my phone.

I'd like to leave you with the quote that stood out to me the most while watching this. Take it as you will, but when I saw this it really took me back and made me think, what kind of world are we really living in?