Abhishek Ranjan

Roll Number: 2022160

Sec: D
The Social Dilemma

The Social Dilemma, a Netflix documentary, shows how social media and personalized
content services have grown in popularity. It demonstrates their control over each and every
one of us as well as the harm they cause to society, which is really unsettling. Even though it
is a documentary, truths are revealed with the aid of a fictional plot. A youngster Ben (Skyler
Gisondo) is shown being hooked by an algorithm (Vincent Karteiser). This is evident when he
tells himself that he (Ben) could give up his phone if he so desired. But instead, social media
steadily pushes him in the direction of the "Extreme Center."

The true messengers are people like Justin Rosenheimer, the creator of the "Like" button, Tim
Kendall, the former CEO of Pinterest (and Director of Monetization at Facebook), and other
big names in the Tech industry. The testimonies of these experts, who include the co-creators
of Google Drive and the author of "You are not a gadget," are both intimate and frightening.

The majority of people not only don’t know the business model of these social media giants,
but the scarier part is also that they don’t even care. Only some people realize that these
businesses don't truly provide their services for free. They understand this cliched but hard
reality that “if you're not paying for the product, you yourself are the product." The
platforms' founders explain that altering the behavior, media/entertainment preferences,
buying patterns, shaping or influencing political ideologies, etc. are the main goals of the social
media platforms, rather than learning about the user. This is because professionals have long
realized that an individual’s data doesn't truly have much value. The objective thus is to modify
the behaviors of users that may increase their probability of scrolling further and purchasing
a product or service. This way the social media businesses through their really smart
algorithms quickly determine how to exploit a user psychologically.

These facts alone are not the only concerning aspect. The scarier part is that the founders of
Facebook, Google, Instagram, and other such companies—some of whom have already left
the companies—seem to be extremely worried. How can one not be concerned when even
those who have contributed to the platforms' creation and who are more familiar with their
goals than any outsider are? Concerns over the potential effects of these powerful weapons
of public manipulation are much more evident now. Our culture is becoming more divided,
and it is alarming how quickly incorrect information spreads without one’s knowledge.
Concerns have been raised regarding the concentration of enormous power in the hands of a
small number of strong, unelected people.

A little more effort could have been spent on outlining potential answers to the questions and
concerns raised in the documentary, The Social Dilemma. It did serve as a reminder for the
viewer to analyze and be conscious while using social media. It compels the viewer to critically
analyze whether their emotions happy or sad are actually real or are they the result of
algorithm engineering.

The Social Dilemma is a must-watch for someone looking for the means to better comprehend
and analyze their own conduct. Although social media impacts everyone, more particularly
young minds, deleting accounts or completely banning the service doesn't seem to be the
solution to the problem.