The Social Dilemma

After starting the first half of The Social Dilemma on Netflix, the first half left me both intrigued and a little unsettled. The film dives deep into the hidden mechanisms of social media platforms, showing how they’re engineered to capture and hold our attention. It’s packed with eye-opening stats and insights that made me think about my own interactions on social media. One thing that stood out was how former tech insiders revealed the extent to which social media companies use algorithms to manipulate our behavior. Hearing that these platforms are designed to keep us scrolling, even at the cost of our mental health, was shocking. The stats they presented about how much time people spend on their phones and the rising rates of anxiety and depression, especially in younger users, hit home for me. It made me realize how normalized this constant engagement with social media has become.

I’ll admit it, I’m definitely addicted to social media. Whether it’s scrolling through TikTok, checking Instagram, or losing track of time on Snapchat, it’s easy to get caught up in the endless feed. The film made me question how much of my time is actually my own and how much is being subtly influenced by these platforms. It’s strange to think about how something so ingrained in daily life could have a massive impact on how I think, feel and even interact with the world around me.

What I found most interesting was how the film wasn’t just pointing fingers at social media users but also highlighting the responsibility of tech companies. The way they create algorithms to maximize profit, often at the expense of users’ well-being, is unsettling. It’s wild to think about how much power these companies have over billions of people without most of us even realizing it.

I’m looking forward to watching the second half of the film to see how they explore solutions or the next steps. While it’s been fascinating to learn about the problems, I’m curious to see if there’s a way to approach social media more mindfully or limit its negative effects. The Social Dilemma is already changing how I view social media, and I’m excited to see what other perspectives the film has to offer.