“The Social Dilemma”
Sadikshya (
Nepal
)
The documentary “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix – Sadikshya’s GoosebumpMoment
Sadikshya: “Hi, everybody! I’m from Nepal and my GoosebumpMoment has to be when I was watching the documentary ‘The Social Dilemma’ on Netflix. This documentary shows how social media has impacted our lives. How it has, you know, forced people to seek for attention, seek for validation. And how it can make people feel lonely at times, and, you know, how it can create turmoil and chaos when it becomes unregulated. I watched this documentary during lockdown. I was in the phase of my life when I was investing so much time into social media because I had nothing else to do. When I used to check social media timing at the end of the day, it used to be 6-8 hours. And when I watched this documentary, especially when the script said,
“If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product!” And, I was all Goosebumps! Not only during this sentence, but throughout the documentary. It was my moment of self-realization. After that, I started becoming more aware of my social media time. And, you know, I used to feel manipulated whenever I was scrolling through the feed. And, yes, it has to be my GoosebumpMoment, yes. Thank you!”
The dangerous impact of social media
“The Social Dilemma” explores the dangerous human impact of social media, with tech experts sounding the alarm about their own creations.
This Netflix documentary raises fundamental and existential questions about whether we are writing to ourselves without the ability to make vital decisions about our own survival. After watching it, you will not only feel Goosebumps, but it will also leave you wondering how each interaction changes your mood, how each notification could be manipulating you.
“The Social Dilemma”, one of the most watched documentaries on Netflix
This production, directed by Jeff Orlowski, is one of the most watched documentaries on the streaming platform and gets people talking about the potential risks of the applications we turn to every day because it explores the many phenomena that occur around social networks at a personal, generational and social level.
The creators of these technologies themselves, coming from Facebook, Google, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest, are the protagonists of this documentary and who warn about the dystopia society is currently in.
The documentary, which contains a part of fiction to make the effects of social networks palpable, tries to show the true objective of tech companies and the destination of our privacy, which goes far beyond displaying personalized advertising.
Likewise, it explains how Silicon Valley has promoted and launched smartphones, intelligent algorithms, the so-called “polarizing echo chambers” and the aggressive pursuit of profits have left users reeling, without resources or possible defense in what many see as a threat for democracy and, beyond this, for the welfare state.
Lessons from “The Social Dilemma”
“The Social Dilemma” deals with the power that large technology platforms have over our consumption and to combat this reality, it leaves us a couple of simple tips to take into account and start modifying it to use each application in a conscious way.
Choosing our online consumptions and avoiding falling into all the algorithm recommendations can help a healthy autonomy. One of the protagonists of the documentary says “do not watch what YouTube recommends” and suggests that if the content interests us, we manually search for it so as not to be victims of that algorithm.
It also teaches us to check the sources before the amount of Fake News that is generated in all areas and that nobody checks. This starts with little jokes but has affected even presidential campaigns.
Seeking other points of view and not following, reading, looking for people who think like one, as well as not encouraging the use of networks to minors. The documentary proposes that social networks be used from the age of 16 and that the youngest among us should use the internet as little as possible, although it sounds very complicated in this context.
And finally, put cell phones away at night. A simple but very effective measure, which can even combat insomnia.
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