Be Prepared To Feel The Urge To Deactivate Your Social Accounts
There were multiple times while watching The Social Dilemma where I wanted to get rid of all my social media accounts, turn off my phone, and throw it out the window. And while that's admittedly a little dramatic, the film will more than likely have that same effect on you. When you have tech engineers admitting that their former companies don't really have a full understanding on the artificial intelligences they have built to run platforms like Facebook and Google, you start to feel like you're entering The Terminator or something. It's like we've opened Pandora's box that has been placed behind a floodgate that we can't seem to close
What The Social Dilemma Is About
Before I got into the nitty-gritty of The Social Dilemma, it is probably best to explain what the documentary is about on a more general level. Okay, the film, which is more a documentary-drama hybrid (more on that in a bit) than anything else examines the various ways social media and social networking companies have manipulated human psychology to rewire the human brain and what it means for society in general. Through a series of interviews with Silicon Valley engineers who designed the technologies they now fear, along with discussions with various tech and psychology experts, The Social Dilemma offers an eye-opening look at a world that so few really understand.
The Social Dilemma Breaks Down How Social Media Companies Take Advantage Of Users, Especially Teenagers
All age groups are discussed in The Social Dilemma, but one of the most striking sections of the documentary is the one that touches on the vulnerability of teenagers who use platforms like Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and multiple others every single day and have been molded by social media's influences. This section of the film is highlighted by statistics on depression, anxiety, and even suicide rates of teenagers that correlate with the rise of social media. This is even more striking when the documentary cuts between experts and a dramatization of a depressed teenager portrayed by Sophia Hammons in one of the most masterful performances of the entire dramatic section.