“The Social Dilemma” – Whistleblowing or Instilling Fears?

 

“The Social Dilemma” has remained on Netflix’s most watched list for the entire week, it is a documentary that features ex-employees of Silicon Valley companies, and aims to raise an alarming bell on the various ways technology companies and their services shape human behavior. I had a chance to watch the first half of the documentary, and was indeed alarmed – but perhaps in a way that was not intended.

I agree that social media is replacing more meaningful face-to-face interactions. However, this documentary makes many far reached imageries and hyperboles. While they do drive the documentary’s theme, I can’t help but think they are not being very partial.

For example, in the documentary, there was an imagery of 3 evil masterminds hiding in one user’s social media account, constantly calculating on how to sell the user the next ad or how to increase engagement from the user. Coupled with the eerie and suspenseful instrumental background music, the segment felt like a scene straight out of a horror movie. When questioned about this approach, the filmmakers said it was “…necessary to communicate in a way that appeals to a broad audience”. The documentary warns that social networks are using information to shape human behavior, but I can’t help but think the excessive imagery, background music and sound effects are also used to instill fears in viewers to push for the documentary’s agenda.

Another example is when the film condemns WhatsApp for spreading misinformation that inspired grotesque lynchings in India. However, I thought the film’s viewpoint was very skewed. It didn’t mention that WhatsApp is simply a messaging device, so misinformation spread was initiated by users – after all, it is WhatsApp users who sent the misinformation to others. Without the existence of WhatsApp, the same effect could have taken place through iMessage, then is Apple to blame?

I walk away from the documentary, alarmed at how popular it is and how people will perceive it. I hope viewers are not simply agreeing with the ideas laid out in the documentary, for that is doing the same as what the documentary claims that social media is doing to us – changing human behavior through partial information.

Source: 

https://www.theverge.com/interface/2020/9/16/21437942/social-dilemma-netflix-review-orlowski-sarah-zhang-memo-facebook-buzzfeed