Discussing the Social Dilemma

This past weekend I watched the Social Dilemma and thought about my own relationship with social media and how it defined my adolescence and self-perception. As someone who was chained to their phone at the age of 10, my obsession with social media started with Facebook (thanks to Farmville) and then grew to Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, and now TikTok.

As a teen, I would spend at least five to six hours a day managing these apps to constantly feed myself new content and information. I was addicted and thought that this was normal because everyone else was also on their phones. There were several moments throughout the Social Dilemma that personally resonated with my own experiences with social media. The first one was in the beginning of the movie when the family sits down for dinner and the mom orders everyone to place their phone in a safe until dinner is over.

Although it might seem silly, I definitely resonated with the teenage girl who smashed the safe just to check on her phone. Throughout my teenage years, I struggled with putting my phone down whenever I was enjoying a meal with someone. Whether it was taking pictures of the food or watching a video to pass the time, I couldn’t eat a meal without having my phone.

One scene that caught my attention throughout the film was when the main character decided to not use his phone for a week. I thought this decision was crazy and unrealistic as I could barely stay off my phone for three hours. With this information in mind, I could definitely not stay off my phone for 24 hours. Other than a phone call, I think a notification from a friend on Snapchat would be enough to compel me to get back on my phone.

Another moment I related to was when the main protagonist received targeted ads for hair gel to impress his crush. I think all of us have experienced this phenomenon in our daily lives before and have all been freaked out when we see a targeted ad that matches our previous Google searches. I also found it relatable when the tech experts compared social media features to slot machines.

According to Gripenstraw (2022), social media manipulates our dopamine systems to associate social media notifications with rewards. The feeling of not knowing what you’re going to get is exciting, especially when you find something you’re interested in.

Citing Price (2018), app developers use these gamification elements to influence our behavior and persuade us to spend more time on these apps even when we don’t even realize it. I find this concept extremely relatable as I often find myself wasting two to three hours per day on TikTok without knowing it. In fact, if I could only keep one social media app, then it would be TikTok because I love watching short-form videos. I know this obsession is unhealthy which is why I’m currently working on weaning myself off the platform these days.

During the Social Dilemma, a young teenage girl is shown obsessing over her image and insecurities. I think this is an experience that most young girls have unfortunately felt before as it’s something I’ve also experienced as well. I’ve been guilty of comparing my looks, abilities, friendships, and relationships to other people because of social media. It’s hard not to compare yourself when you’re constantly bombarded with people who seem objectively better than you.

To develop a healthier relationship with technology, we must learn how to enforce screen time limits on ourselves. We have to understand that we need to live in the real world if we want to foster real human relationships. Furthermore, we must train ourselves to not compare our lives with other people in order to be happy while using social media.

After watching the film, I plan to change my privacy settings on social media by disabling app tracking, setting my profiles to private, and turning off location services. According to Klosowski (n.d.), another great way to protect your web browsing and prevent stalker ads is to use a browser extension that blocks ads such as uBlock Origin. In addition to using a browser extension, I also plan to use stronger passwords to protect my data from hackers since Facebook has a history of data breaches.

Overall, I think the Social Dilemma displayed an interesting look at the issues with social media and how unethical it can be. This documentary inspired me to reflect on my own social media habits and identify ways I can prevent myself from spending a majority of my life online.

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