Netflix released yet another one of its original movies last month, a docudrama called The Social Dilemma directed by Jeff Orlowski. Summarized as a “dystopian speculation” of the evils in human social networking of the current Gen Z-Millennial world, it reminded us of the goosebump-worthy Black Mirror episode 'Nosedive' (Season 3, Episode 1) which shows us the hypothetical of how it would be if social media ran the world.
The cliché sci-fi scenario of robots taking over the world, as per the experts' claim in The Social Dilemma, is already in action, except the robots are replaced by AI machines being fed with instructions and hordes of our data by the said giant enterprises with the sole goal of profiting themselves – and their advertising partners in crime – by manipulating human behavior.
Although the idea of social media addiction is nothing entirely new to the public through the constant mention of complementary concepts like social media detox trending, the extent of the addiction would've been unfathomable if this documentary hadn’t been made.
Not a bug, but a feature!
Tristan Harris, one of the featured interviewees in The Social Dilemma, strives to unravel to the viewers a comprehensive rundown of inner workings of the giant tech companies behind social media platforms, stressing the fact that the effort to nurture this addiction is “not a bug but a design feature (of social media applications)”.
The film contains briefly accumulated interviews of ex-big shots from the one and only Silicon Valley, who have helped develop these very social media platforms, and are now telling us to be aware of.
Although these IT-connoisseurs struggle to fully articulate the impact of the knowledge they bear, Orlowski’s expertise in showing the vast and stark realities in terms of the common man comes into play. The fictional events juxtaposed as examples for the unimaginable technical mumbo-jumbo statements, help in putting things in perspective for the audiences.
Help!
The documentary vividly shows the apprehensions of social media creators taking effect in the form of ill-impacts on the mental health of users around the globe, inducing political conflicts and uprooting the foundations of our civilization.
Fair to say after watching the film, we all feel an existential crisis approaching.
Double Dilemma?
During the present pandemic, when we are advised to physically isolate ourselves to the confines of our homes to prevent the risk of the infection spreading, many of us are finding it tough to get used to the new normal but the only way the contact-free era has been tolerable so far is due to our socially connected lives.
The endless Zoom calls and Netflix parties have been a prominent part of our days since March of 2020. But the realisation of users being taken advantage of by these corporations that comes after watching the movie feels like betrayal.
A race with technology
Netflix YT | THE SOCIAL DILEMMA OFFICIAL TRAILER
Attachment to smart devices and the World Wide Web had once upon been a choice but now, that hardly is the case anymore.
The docudrama mentions another interesting fact to consider; as technology is evolving at exponential speed, our minds have to play catch-up with it and this does not seem to be going well in the bigger picture or perhaps is going a little too well according to the tech giants.
While The Social Dilemma largely focuses on enlightening its viewers, it does little to solve any of the stated problems. It also sweeps some other challenges under the rug, such as economic insecurity and a decrease in manual labor due to growth in machine automated industries.
How to live under a rock?
Despite the critiquing, the movie sounds an alarm to the public and concisely unveils the devious intentions & dangers of intrusive data mining and the causalities behind unruly algorithms in a little over an hour and a half.
Alas! The irony of the movie having been released on Netflix and marketed on various other social media platforms is not lost on us. Now, do we throw away our phones or what?
Watch the trailer for The Social Dilemma here:
Posted from my blog with SteemPress : https://www.sukeindia.com/netflix-social-dilemma-reminds-us-of-black-mirror-but-in-real-life/