Does social media ‘control’ us? Is its influence so strong that the likes of Facebook and TikTok became irreplaceable ‘needs’, as hostile ‘wants’? Are we shaped offline, by the identity we create online?
A recent topic of fiery discussion, many have labeled Netflix’s docudrama ‘The Social Dilemma’ a ‘so-called’ documentary; a farce; a one-sided shambles.
The Social Dilemma delves deep into the ‘damage’ social media has imposed, suggesting it's contributed to mental and physical health issues, addiction, and also the spread of conspiracy theories worldwide.
The controversial docudrama, unfortunately, never takes time to acknowledge the positive side of social media. Instead, it force-feeds audiences a narrative of a young boy led astray by online conspiracy theorists (you could say it’s a high-budget example of someone’s opinion).
Social media forms an enormous part of our lives. Some people can’t, astoundingly, count the number of social media platforms they visit multiple times each day on just one hand.
While we do acknowledge that Facebook has complex algorithms that ‘keep’ you on the platform with content that’ll keep you scrolling, Netflix is simply as guilty of doing things it’s accusing Facebook of doing. Netflix itself has algorithms that keep you watching….
There’s also a flip side to the coin. Without social media, the Black Lives Matter movement wouldn’t have happened; shy or ‘nerdy’ people mightn’t have discovered newfound confidence online, people with speech disorders or impediments mightn’t have had their voices heard online.
Speaking on this lasting cultural phenomenon within the docudrama are a couple of ‘Tech Bro’s and Chicks’ (professionals behind the likes of Google, Facebook, YouTube, and more).
Did they ever realize they were creating platforms the documentary deems as ‘monsters?’ Could or not it's that, now that they’re multimillionaires, they’ve suddenly discovered their conscience? we are able to only wonder.
One viewer described The Social Dilemma as ‘a glorified mum at a faculty meeting who blames her bad parenting on everyone but her.’
The Social Dilemma accuses the precise platforms it’s criticizing of doing, the precise same thing the documentary is doing (creating an echo chamber, and showing one side of the argument).
As an informative piece of content, we predict The Social Dilemma fails and is an example of lazy filmmaking (calling it a documentary is an offense to the likes of filmmakers like Louis Theroux & Morgan Spurlock).
Historically, whenever a brand new piece of technology is introduced, there has always been pushback from those it affects most, who benefited from the way it ‘was’ as opposed to how something ‘will be’. It’s why some traditional media outlets (such as newspapers) have had no choice but to pivot to the digital editions, as opposition print, as people communicate the web world for information they once acquired offline.
Thousands of aspiring business owners got their business off the bottom using the facility of social media. We can’t disqualify its positive power, but like anything, it must be consumed in ‘healthy’ portions.
At the tip of the day, being the one person you recognize not on Facebook isn’t visiting achieve anything. Instead, we must do the We encourage you to try to do the precise opposite of what The Social Dilemma is telling us to do; don’t grind to a halt within the echo chamber, find other sources of data, hear people whose opinions are different from yours; grow, learn and always consider the opposite side of the story. and ensure our opinions are in addition rounded as possible before we intercommunicate our Facebook wall to complain about Instagram is destroying the minds of today’s youth.
