The Social Dilemma
“The Social Dilemma” may not be about religion, but it is a portrayal of the ways social media empires have begun to play god, and we the consumers are bowing down. While many people are aware of the potential pitfalls of social media, those risks haven’t dissuaded most users.
Jeff Orlowski’s docu-drama goes beyond some peripheral dangers associated with social media sites and delves into ethical and moral questions surrounding capitalism, artificial intelligence, human psychology and privacy. The film lays bare the vast and intentional overreach of big tech companies for the purposes of data mining and behavior manipulation.
The experts warning of this technical intrusion are the very people who built these empires: former executives and designers from Twitter, Facebook, Google, Instagram, Pinterest and more.
“Never before in history have 50 designers made decisions that would have an impact on two billion people,” says Tristan Harris, a former design ethicist at Google.
While in many ways intended for good, the experts say the platforms have been highjacked for monetization. This has led to extremist ideologies gaining traction, the proliferation of disinformation and youth depression.
So turn “The Social Dilemma” on and turn your social media notifications off. (Kit Doyle)
This article originally appeared here.
