Thoughts on The Social Dilemma

Last weekend, I watched The Social Dilemma, a documentary that interviews former executives at top technology companies about the dark side of apps like social media. Before watching the film, I thought that most of the information wouldn't be new to me because I already read books like Deep Work and The Shallows about the effect of technology on productivity and society. I also listened to some podcasts and read some blogs by Cal Newport about how to become a digital minimalist. 

As I watched the film, however, I realized that there were a lot of things that I didn't know about technology. I rarely use strong language, but the documentary honestly scared the hell out of me. Seeing the teenager getting manipulated and controlled by three adults disturbed me. I found it depressing to see the teenager enter a downward spiral of not having any real hobby or passion besides looking at his phone. The adults reminded me of evil masterminds who were finding every possible way to get the user's attention on the screen. I never thought of technology as people using tactics to keep users engaged in technology nonstop. In the past, I always blamed myself for getting myself into a rabbit hole or wasting time on YouTube. I didn't consider that the reason I always ended up in that position was the design interfaces. Whether it was the never-ending recommendations or the red notifications, I spent a lot more time than expected. 

This was the scene from the documentary that reinforced the idea of not going back on social media. 

Some new things that I learned about the documentary came from watching the interview scenes with people that used to work at companies like Twitter, Pinterest, etc. I was surprised to find out that they track so much information about each user to the point that they know how much time is spent on each picture, video, etc. They know which photos a user likes the most and the user's browsing history. The other memorable parts of the documentary came from the quotes that had an eerie backdrop with chilling music as if I was watching some thriller. One quote that I remembered very well came from the fact that I heard it at a science camp lecture. "If you are not paying for the product, then you are the product." This quote not only made me think about the social media apps out there that are free, but also other apps like messaging and music. 

By definition, companies are not companies unless they can make a profit. If an app is free, they need to find some way to make a profit. Social media is not the only culprit out there that is part of the attention industry. So are apps like Spotify. They make more money if you spend more time on the website. Although it is good that Spotify has millions of songs, Spotify does use some methods that resemble social media apps. For instance, they have friends you can add to see their friends and their playlists. There are recommendations of playlists and various searches you can make for artists, albums, etc. The list goes on. For search engines like Google, the results can sometimes be so personalized that I am a bit frightened by its high accuracy. 

The other quote that made me rethink certain websites was by Yale professor Edward Tufte, saying, “There are only two industries that call their customers “users”: illegal drugs and software.” Social media companies are not out there for our best interests. They are there to get our attention and use them all the time. The same goes for entertainment websites like YouTube and TikTok. YouTube has more good content like inspirational talks and educational content, but at the same time, YouTube has algorithms to personalize recommendations so you can keep watching more videos. One good piece of advice that I got from the documentary was from Jaron Lainer about not letting YouTube shove a recommended video for you to watch. Instead, you should choose a YouTube video with intention. I think that is good advice because when I act with intention, I don't let technology control me. It is also a good way for me to secretly display signs of resistance. Also, I want to have more freedom, which is something I greatly value. 

One excellent point that I never noticed myself before was the nuanced definition of the word "tool." According to Tristan Harris, a tool like a bicycle is neutral. For instance, people don't feel some sort of temptation when they see their bikes in front of them. On the other hand, social media is not a real tool because it likes to lure people in with some sort of desire or temptation. I mean, have you wondered why notifications purposefully don't give away the full story? The main reason is that surprise makes people want to go back. By that point, it is not a tool. 

I appreciated the documentary's ability to make me engage in deep thoughts about society and technology, though certain parts of the documentary made the modern age sound like a dystopia. Maybe the current state of society is so bad that it is a dystopia and I am not aware of the gravity of the situation. The tone felt quite pessimistic, but there was a glimmer of hope and optimism in the end. I also felt that some of the people's digital habits were overexaggerated, especially the part when the girl smashes the container to get her phone. I barely use my phone, however, so I may be underestimating how much the average teen spends on their devices. I wished that the documentary went into depth about messaging apps, though the directors probably didn't have enough time to cover everything. 

My blog is a hybrid of a summary and reflection of the documentary. I highly recommend it to everyone, especially people who are in generation Z. Your perspective towards technology will never be the same once you watch this documentary and I am not exaggerating. Sure, you probably already know about the alarming statistics regarding depression and social media, but the documentary will make it even more explicit and obvious.