'The Social Dilemma,' a new Netflix documentary-drama on how technology companies have manipulated human psychology with dire consequences for our society, is unlikely to impact these businesses' bottom lines.
"The Social Dilemma" explores how the Internet's most popular products work on a basic business model of tracking users' behavior in order to sell targeted ads and induce addiction in a vicious cycle. The film blends interviews with tech experts, including many former employees of Silicon Valley giants, and PSA-style dramatic scenarios illustrating the negative effects of social media on average Americans.
The employee interviews are the most interesting part, as they explain how their companies developed technology that so effectively manipulates the human psyche, and express their regrets over what they unleashed. Their warnings are dire.
Despite the confessionals and doomsaying, however, the final recommendations to the average consumer of these tech products are disappointingly unoriginal. These self-help suggestions include: turn off notifications; uninstall time-wasting apps; fact-check before you share sources; and follow people with different views than you.
Perhaps the most ironic one is not to watch what the recommendation algorithms suggest — although presumably the exception is when the Netflix algorithm loads up "The Social Dilemma." Big tech companies are not likely to take films like "The Social Dilemma" as an existential threat. Facebook, a frequent target of social media criticism, still posted
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