Do you end your day with scrolling on Instagram, liking posts on Facebook, retweeting on Twitter and repeat the exact same thing first thing in the morning, or is it just us? We don’t remember spending even a day without using all these social media apps for hours at a stretch! ‘The Social Dilemma‘, a documentary that recently released on Netflix speaks exactly about the impact of social media on us and the overall world. It really changed our perspective towards technology giants and we are absolutely certain that it will have a similar impact on you too. From the impact it has on pre-teens to the danger it poses to our global peace, here’s everything you need to know about the documentary and our modern-age addiction!
A little about ‘The Social Dilemma‘
‘The Social Dilemma‘ is a documentary that debuted in the Sundance Festival in January this year and is directed by Jeff Orlowski. The film talks about something that we have been hearing for years—’use social media with caution’. However, what we never understood was the large scale impact it can have on us, our families, relationships, politics and the economy. This documentary was successful in driving home their message because of their impressive list of interviewees. Senior personalities from Facebook, Twitter, Google, Pinterest and many more feature in the film and warn us about the consequences of the systems they have helped build.
Impact on mental health and global democracy
While there’s no harm is scrolling through your feed for an hour or two in the day, it is important to understand the algorithm that goes behind it. The film’s central concern is about how we are becoming products to the advertisers and how it’s almost impossible to come out of this rabbit hole. Its speaks at length about how social media giants have the capacity of impacting your mental health in a grave manner, without us realising it. We have seen social media cause political polarisation, democratical unrest, protests and much more. However, you must realise that social media apps in itself are not a problem, their business models are! As rightly said in the film,
Social media isn’t a tool that’s just waiting to be used. It has its own goals, and it has its own means of pursuing them
What can you do the break the cycle?
‘The Social Dilemma‘ is completely worth a watch because it raises relevant questions! None of the decisions you make on social media are by intention but they are controlled by design. Hence, it is vital to do our bit to break this cycle. Start by turning off notifications for apps that are not of utmost importance to you. Moreover, delete apps that you don’t use often. Apart from this, you can also consciously limit your screen time so it doesn’t end up consuming your whole life. Taking a break for your mental health is as important as anything else! Give yourself a little time off social media every day and try and understand how their algorithm functions. That’s the only way you will succeed in breaking this cycle of dystopia.
If you haven’t seen ‘The Social Dilemma‘, you gotta see it straight away! It’s a brilliant masterpiece that shows you what goes behind the world of social media. It will shake you into reality and tell you to use these platforms more cautiously. Tell us what you thought about the documentary in comments below!
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