The Social Dilemma: Is Big Tech Too Big?
Praised by critics as “the most important documentary of our times,” The Social Dilemma is an American docudrama released on Netflix on September 9, 2020. Directed by filmmaker Jeff Orlowski, the 94-minute documentary explores the ubiquity of social media in modern society, addressing its role in taboo topics such as mental health, surveillance capitalism, data privacy and addiction politics. It features numerous Silicon Valley tech executives, including the former presidents of Facebook and Pinterest, who put tech giants such as Google, Facebook and Twitter under the spotlight.
Within three weeks of its release, The Social Dilemma shot to the top of Netflix’s top 10 movies and gained widespread media attention. Now, over four months later, the film continues to spark conversations on the intersection of ethics and technology. The discussions raised are especially relevant amidst the ongoing pandemic. People of all ages now rely on technology to carry out every aspect of their daily lives, sparking a 72% increase in social media consumption since the first wave of lockdowns. In modern society, the Big Tech firms – Amazon, Apple, Google, Facebook and Microsoft – have consolidated immense power, creating a profound social dilemma of prioritizing company over societal interests.
The documentary’s primary message for viewers is this: put down your phone, because you’re being manipulated. On the Big Technology Podcast, the star of the film, ex-Google employee and Stanford alum Tristan Harris, claimed that “[social media] specifically poses a kind of existential threat to democracy and a functioning society” by distorting our reality. Numerous interviews with former and current Big Tech employees add credibility to this claim, as experts sound the alarm on how tech giants use AI and algorithms to predict users’ future actions based on observed past behaviour.
A recurring scene is the dramatic manipulation of a teenage boy by tech employees personified as success metrics, who do everything in their power to fuel his online addiction. Whenever the boy is about to exit his app, the personas immediately feed him new notifications and messages from people close to him, which they know will keep him engaged on the platform. This scene is criticized for misleading viewers, since no one is ever tracked by an actual human being. Instead, data surveillance is powered by AI “on a server somewhere” that uses your psychological patterns to predict the kind of content you want to see in your feed. Nevertheless, the point is clear: Big Tech firms prioritize company profits over ethics, which is further illustrated by TikTok’s addictive ‘For You’ page designed to keep users online for as long as possible.
The film also explores social media’s detrimental effects on users’ mental health, particularly when it comes to adolescents. This issue is embodied by a teenage girl named Isla, who poses for selfies overlaid with filters that distort her features. She then posts her picture on Instagram but quickly deletes it after not receiving enough likes. Facebook’s ex-VP of Growth warns that the constant desire for likes and social validation actually leaves users “more vacant and empty.” Tristan Harris adds that social media “[takes] over kids’ sense of self-worth and identity.”
According to social psychologist Jonathan Haidt, there has been a “gigantic increase” in depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide among pre-teen and teenage children. Since 2013, hospitals have recorded an alarming 189% increase in the number of pre-teen girls admitted for self-harm. Similarly, suicide rates have skyrocketed 151% over the past decade. It’s no coincidence that these high figures correlate with the rise of social media. In an interview with The Age, self-esteem educator Catherine Manning revealed that “the powerful thing for kids to identify is that something they care about so much has no care for them other than as revenue ... there is nothing new in this, but it makes it a whole lot more personal.” While social media undoubtedly has its benefits for society, its ubiquity should be questioned if it causes vulnerable youth to develop mental health struggles and, in the worst-case scenario, pay the ultimate price.
Since Big Tech firms profess to bring us closer together through digital connection, one might expect them to address consumers’ mental health crisis caused by their products. Despite some efforts such as Instagram’s daily screen time feature, ex-tech employee and eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Gant believes Big Tech simply lacks the will to create a safe social media culture.
Tech companies are profit-driven corporations which, as Milton Friedman argued in his epochal essay, is the only social responsibility of business. For these firms, success is measured by a growing user base, increased activity, and high levels of engagement, all of which is achieved through fostering user addiction. Rather than shouldering the ethical burden of society’s social media addiction, Big Tech argues that if users feel uncomfortable with the product, they have the freedom to simply delete the app.
Allegedly, many viewers have since pulled the plug and taken social media breaks. However, in our digital reality, how long a person can last without succumbing to temptation and habit is an open question. As citizens in a tech-centered society, remaining informed and educated about technology and all its implications is vital. During the end credits, the featured employees recommend proactively turning off notifications, uninstalling time-consuming apps, avoiding ‘Recommended for You’ YouTube videos, and keeping devices out of the bedroom at night. Nevertheless, critics of the documentary point out a lack of tangible solutions to the dangers of social media, like screen addiction and mental health. To educate themselves further, consumers should consider reading books such as Swipe to Unlock, a guide explaining the core concepts of technology and the business strategy behind them.
Reducing screen time proves challenging in our technology-dependent society. As citizens and end-users, we have a duty to protect ourselves from compulsive media consumption. Wendy Hui Kyong Chun, the Canada 150 Research Chair in New Media, emphasizes that “there is nothing new in this documentary that has not been said before.” Social media is a double-edged sword with both revolutionary benefits and detrimental consequences. However, one thing is clear: we can only rely on ourselves to protect our mental wellness in Big Tech’s era of glory.