Watched this on Netflix last night. Simply put, it's about the impact and effects of social media on our societies, through interviews with a range of designers and programmers who've worked in key areas of the industry.
Particularly, but not only, if you have adolescent or pre-teenage kids and either have trouble handling them or doubts as to how to approach their use of new technologies, then I thoroughly recommend it. It also provides ample food for thought if you ever wonder or worry about the deep political polarisation that has taken hold across the world in recent years.
The topics are hardly new, and the film's a bit too fast-paced for my liking, as it allows precious little time for things to sink in and viewers to consider their own cases - but it can always be watched or rewatched at a slower pace I suppose.
I think there's enough meat on the bone for it to have been fleshed out into a series - speaking of which, I've also seen there's a new Netflix series on video games. Anyone watching that who'd care to give some feedback?
Cheers.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0
OT: The Social Dilemma
posted on 13/9/20
I'd heard a lot of it myself, and have actually been very sceptical of social media right from the outset due to my own personal experience using Retuers dealing systems back in the late 80s and early 90s. That wasn't even remotely close to what internet and social media are nowadays, but it was already powerful enough as a relational tool for me to be immediately suspicious of social networks when they began.
Not working in the industry though, you often lose sight of the bigger picture simply because of how overwhelming everyday life with kids can be.
The bigger issue, however, has not been to be aware of the pitfalls, but of how to address them, having grown up in a pre-internet, pre-social media age.
posted on 13/9/20
Does OT mean Old Trafford?
posted on 13/9/20
comment by Jim Lahey (U22183)
posted 1 hour, 18 minutes ago
a lot of my friends have commented on social dilemma
as someone who works in this space it was very shallow for me, but I have to say it has been really eye opening seeing and hearing what the general public really never comprehended about not how they use tech these days, but how tech uses them after they watched this.
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Yeah I don’t think I learnt anything new, although it’s always good to hear perceptions of those involved with running these companies first hand.
It’s a worrying 20/30 years ahead, if we aren’t careful it’ll be 1984 and North Korea rolled into one.
posted on 13/9/20
I have always had a very negative bias against social media from growing up in a household where the power of media (print, Tv, and radio at the time) was heavily highlighted. If your are not using it to manipulate others, others are using it to manipulate you is my simple philosophy.
I watched the netflix docuseries on the history of video games (cant remember the name) about 4 weeks ago. Growing up in that era as a gamer, I enoyed it a lot. It was "mostly" a large serving of nostalgia (the good kind) but I found it enjoyable.
posted on 13/9/20
comment by RB&W (U21434)
posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Does OT mean Old Trafford?
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Off topic ... there is a section on the site to tag as Movies/TV, probably better posted there
posted on 13/9/20
comment by TheSpecialWUM (U9028)
posted 6 minutes ago
comment by RB&W (U21434)
posted 1 hour, 15 minutes ago
Does OT mean Old Trafford?
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Off topic ... there is a section on the site to tag as Movies/TV, probably better posted there
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this may be true for most forums but has never applied to 606
I have been using 606 almost 20 years and fans post whatever they find topical to discuss wih their community (utd board). Then again I almost never go on other sections of 606
posted on 13/9/20
It's humans weaknesses, not our technology, that's the problem.
Social commentators have been questioning how we mediate 'culture', or how a culture is mediated, since the ancients. And suggesting all manner of doom and gloom as a consequence.
Even something as seemingly innocuous as the 'novel' was deemed to be indicating the end of civilisation, back in the early part of the 19th century.
Cinematography, impressionism, radio, TV, graphic novels, video games, pop music, 'rock n roll' etc etc., have all portended the end of days to reactionary tw@ts in their day
posted on 14/9/20
Society has become too vain and conformist, bunch of sheep.
Before, people were concerned with their own opinions, now they obsess over other people's opinions.
Social media makes this worse, but isn't the root cause.
posted on 14/9/20
comment by Garner be a star (U13920)
posted 18 hours, 24 minutes ago
I have always had a very negative bias against social media from growing up in a household where the power of media (print, Tv, and radio at the time) was heavily highlighted. If your are not using it to manipulate others, others are using it to manipulate you is my simple philosophy.
I watched the netflix docuseries on the history of video games (cant remember the name) about 4 weeks ago. Growing up in that era as a gamer, I enoyed it a lot. It was "mostly" a large serving of nostalgia (the good kind) but I found it enjoyable.
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Thanks for that. I played plenty of video games back in the 80s and 90s too, but they're very much a thing of the past for me.
The way social media are polarising -or contributing to polarise- public opinion is worrying, imo.
posted on 14/9/20
comment by IAmMe (U18491)
posted 14 hours, 50 minutes ago
It's humans weaknesses, not our technology, that's the problem.
Social commentators have been questioning how we mediate 'culture', or how a culture is mediated, since the ancients. And suggesting all manner of doom and gloom as a consequence.
Even something as seemingly innocuous as the 'novel' was deemed to be indicating the end of civilisation, back in the early part of the 19th century.
Cinematography, impressionism, radio, TV, graphic novels, video games, pop music, 'rock n roll' etc etc., have all portended the end of days to reactionary tw@ts in their day
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Amongst other things, the novel -whose rise to popularity was aided by changes in the publishing and particularly the distribution industry- was deemed a women's genre that threatened to subvert the patriarchal social order, and also served to disseminate and popularise other issues that undermined the powers that were.
Looking at its long-term impact, I think it's pretty fair to say it did play a role in doing so in shaping contemporary society, as have many of the other social and cultural innovations you mention.
So from the point of view of the reactionaries you alluded to, they were not entirely wrong - those innovations did help to spell the end of days for THEIR world. A different issue is whether the world or social order we have now is better than what it was back then. I think a vast majority of people in democratic nations nowadays would agree that most of the items you listed played a part in establishing and consolidating democracy as a political system and, as such, proved to be positive forces for change. It is also important to note that none of those changes went without broad discussion on the part of adherents, opponents and many of those in between.
Additionally, there is in my view a fundamental difference as regards social media - namely, its scale/reach and especially the immediacy of impact of social media, even when compared to the advent of radio or television.
Propaganda itself is by no means new, but the speed with which ideas can spread through social media, coupled with a far better understanding both of the human psyche and of the science that governs our reactions, make SM a very dangerous tool when put in the wrong hands. The documentary comments precisely on how SM are allegedly being used already by more authoritarian regimes for for their own domestic purposes and to polarise politics in democratic nations.
I do not by any means think that we ought to go about panicking and screaming that the end of the world is nigh, but I certainly do think it important to be aware of and talk about the potential repercussions of social media, rather than think everything will be fine and allow a free reign to those who might want to use these new tools as an engine for negative change.