The Social Dilemma Movie Analysis Essay Example

The Social Dilemma is a documentary that merges real-life interviews with a narrative drama to reveal the dark truths of social media. The said interviews entail numerous tech pundits from Silicon Valley; all from companies such as Google, Twitter, Facebook, etc. Each tech then goes on to describe the perils of social networking and how firms attempt to influence and control their customers. 

One goal of this documentary is to spread awareness about excessive propaganda and biased information online. Former Google design ethicist, Tristan Harris, mentioned a study done by MIT. This study claimed, "False news spreads six times faster on Twitter than truthful news," which is unnerving. Instead of creating divisions through false information, Big Tech should be focused on filtering out the lies in their software. Nowadays, news and information on social media platforms do not necessarily have to be verified for it to be published. As a result, anyone with the motivation to distribute fake news has the power to do so, which is why we must choose sources with caution.  

Technology has evolved into a tool used for rapid gratification, gradually conditioning society to rely on it. We would prefer to live on our phones than in the actual world; we value a notification over the person in front of us. Christian Lou Lange’s statement, “Technology is a useful servant but a dangerous master,” is a good interpretation of my own thoughts. In other words, while technology does have its risks, I believe that it has also enabled us to advance in many ways. For example, a significant difference in communication from the 1800s to today is the ability to contact anyone, anytime, and anywhere in the world.  

One risk that comes with technology is letting it be a force to divide us as a country.