THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

US, 2020, 94 minutes, Colour.
Directed by Jeff Orlowski.

This is a documentary alert to the impacts of social media. One blogger remarked that it was five years too late – but yet on time.

For those concerned about the impact of social media, this is a film to be seen and discussed. While it is a film of talking heads, very intelligent and well-informed talking heads, it also uses, less effectively, some dramatic recreations, especially of a family and teenagers dealing with the technology. There is a telling scene where the mother puts all the mobile phones into a sealed jar and the teenage daughter, absolutely desperate, hacking away to get her phone out.

While this sets something of a tone, with some drama, most of the film is an appeal to our minds as well is our emotions.

There is a cumulative effect from the experts in explaining the origins and developments, especially in Silicon Valley, and the rapid impact on consumers. The speakers offer a challenge to the public, to consider the impact of their use of social media and the question of how much it controls them. There is the amount of information gained about users and how it is used, guiding choices without the users necessarily realising this. Profiles are gathered and information and advertising geared because of the profiles.

Amongst those speaking are hands-on technicians, inventors and creators, who have seen the results of their work and are in a position now to appeal to the public to be cautious. While one can’t turn back the clock, one can be wary, critical, making assertive choices rather than simply willingly or unwittingly succumbing to choices made by the social media companies.

In one sense, this documentary is not surprising. These are the kinds of discussions that have been increasingly prevalent over recent years. But in another sense, the documentary is quite surprising, the extraordinary developments of the technology, the spread of social media, the extraordinary influence, and the possibilities for indoctrination, forced choices, social media taking over our lives.

This is the kind of documentary that should be seen and discussed.