Do you ever wonder why social media is so addictive? Or think about how you’ve changed because of it? Ever look up from your phone and realize you’ve missed something important going on around you? Or lost track of time, and it’s hours later than you intended?
The Social Dilemma is a hybrid drama-documentary that sets out to answer some of these questions. A look inside the machine, from some of the minds that created it.
The documentary part of the movie is fascinating and also downright horrifying. The film states quite bluntly, “If you are not paying for the product, you are the product.” And it goes even deeper than that. What’s for sale is not only your attention and eyeballs on the screen but also the ability to modify or shift your behavior.
One of the examples given is conspiracy theories. Given a small number of people who belong to conspiracy theory groups on social media, you can use those people to target thousands more and introduce or convince them of your conspiracy theory. The movie’s primary example is Pizzagate, which ended with a man firing a rifle into a pizza place because he believed it was a center of a child sex ring. This is just one example.
Are you not into conspiracy theories? That doesn’t protect you. False news spreads six times faster than the truth, and if it aligns with things you already believe to be true, or you trust the person who shared it, you are likely to believe it.
Now, the goal of social media is not false news. However, the goal is to make money. And how do they make money? By getting you to spend more time on social media, where you’ll view more ads, and then selling you to the highest bidder. There is no one looking out for what’s right or what’s best. When you receive a notification, a like, or get tagged in a photo, the purpose is to trigger dopamine in your brain center and get you back on the social media site. Ever wonder why the email that says you’re tagged in a picture doesn’t include the picture? Wouldn’t that be easier?
There were also a lot of scary statistics about teen depression and suicide. Looking back, I am so glad that social media didn’t exist when I was a teenager. High school is hard enough already, I can’t imagine adding in the weight of seeing others’ picture-perfect lives online, all day, every day.
Depicting social media’s AI and algorithms as people in a command center, the drama part of the movie is a bit silly. There is not a team of people influencing your social media news feed in realtime. However, there are millions of a/b tests running to find the best ways to maximize their ability to keep your attention and influence your behavior.
The dilemma, I suppose, is that even if you know social media is bad for you, you’re probably already addicted. And many of us feel that social media is keeping us connected, even if that’s so far from the truth as to be laughable.
At this time, I have not (yet) deleted my Facebook account. I did delete the app from my phone and review (and cull) the information in the ads preferences section.
Is what they say in this movie 100% the truth? Probably not. But it’s still terrifying and fascinating at the same time, and definitely worth watching.
PS. If you’re reading this because you saw my post on Facebook, think about subscribing by email—there’s a box on the left sidebar (you may have to check your spam folder to find the confirmation link). Just in case I quit Facebook.