DIRECTOR: Jeff Orlowski
PRODUCER: Larissa Rhodes
WRITERS: Vickie Curtis & Davis Coombe & Jeff Orlowski
Social Media has played a huge part in each of our lives these past few decades. From Facebook to Twitter to Instagram and even more recently since the COVID-19 crisis got bigger and bigger, TikTok, these sites have been the cornerstone of communication on the virtual side overnight. I remember when I first got into social media, it all started with myspace, which didn't last long and then came the mega successful site Facebook, which I've been a member of for the past several years. Then came Twitter, Instagram, etc. But here's the thing, no one ever talks about the other side of social media and that's what this documentary revolves around. The Social Dilemma is so much more than the rise of social media, it is the depiction of what questions it leaves us with when the show ends.
An original Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma takes us into the world of Social Media and how it effects us and our lives day in and day out. When watching I discovered some things about these sites I never knew, like the way it can turn an entire world upside down or on it's head. Watching someone spend so much time on their cell phone just indulging into their selected site was like looking at a depressed individual seeking approval from friends or friends of friends. The thing that made it so dramatic is the kids, as depicted in the film, who either tried to kick the habit or were so hooked on it that they had to break a vase just to get the phone back and leave the dinner table with it. It was almost like watching robots come to life and they had only one program: do nothing but spend all their time and energy into social media. That goes to show how powerful social media platforms can be, enough to separate a family. Very disturbing... if you ask me.
Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” - 1 CORINTHIANS 15:33 NIV
Even the political side is just as major as the subject itself. Why? Because I found myself at one point asking this question: How does doe the political agenda align with social media? Simple... they push for it! This is what causes division, obsession and cultural misunderstanding and with what's happening in the world today, see for yourself. The 2020 election is just around the corner and despite the COVID-19 pandemic, it's become forced upon us all! Sure we have a right to voice our opinions and vote for whom and what we choose but how are we benefiting from that with social media? This movie left me with so many questions like how far has this taken us in the last 20+ years? Are we using these platforms to gain for ourselves or to express who we really are? What are these sites and what were they really created for? Has privacy become a thing of the past or are there other parties out there looking to make our lives an open book? Even some of the things these sites display as shown in the film are not really happening, just fabricated displays of what the people behind them want us to see. We're meant to believe what we see and hear when it comes to world events, but in the world of social media it's either real or it isn't? Positive or negative? You decide. The company you take part in can be your own uprising or your own undoing.
Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. - 1 JOHN 2:15-16 NIV
From the perspective of each interview, that common question 'is this worth going on anymore?' seems to pop up every time, especially when we're taken into the world behind these platforms. Very interesting how that was depicted and if this honestly we're true, I wouldn't be surprised because every aspect of our lives is monitored by how much time we spend on these things. The ones interviewed in this story don't just talk about it's evolution in today's digital age, they talk how it can affect an entire nation of people and even the world. Just think if this kind of power were to fall in the wrong hands... potential pandemonium!!! This is why there are very few people I know who barely even use or don't use Facebook and other platforms at all. Each time we spend online can become one's greatest obsession and create a false image of yourself, one that covers up your true self. You see all this stuff on your profile and you have no idea where they came from or why there even on your page. I've always wondered who controls that? When we see our YouTube pages you see all these recommended videos and you think... 'where did these come from?' and they all say the same thing: because you watched this or that and it's like 'Why?' None of the people interviewed in this are saying that these things are bad, but they do make interesting points on how far this has gone and what needs to change
What is true? What is false? So many questions here and there, left and right. We're we meant to trust our lives to these sites? It's almost like 'The Matrix', when we log on we go into a world that is all roses and flowers, but when we log off or take off to the real world it's the complete opposite. We can't escape reality forever, but by watching what we do and say can make the biggest difference (see 1 TIMOTHY 4:16). Very few details were fictionalized for dramatization reasons but I get the irony behind it. This convinced me to question what social media was really all about and what I discovered was this: not just to catch up with old friends or to make new ones, but to show the whole world who you are and what you're all about within the platform. If you haven't seen this yet and want to know what social media really does for you, check this out. It may even change the way you look at it or the time you spend on these things... chances are you'll never look at your cell phone and it's apps the same way again.