The Social Dilemma

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

a documentary

English Mr. Aktaş

INDEX

THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

M1 - Social media and I

M2 Pre-Viewing Activities

M3 - While-Viewing Activities

M4 - Post-Viewing Activities

Reflect on your social media behavior by following the steps on the worksheet m1

M1 - Social media and I

M2 - Pre-Viewing activities

"The Social Dilemma” is a 2020 Netflix documentary directed by Jeff Orlowski.

It deals with the hidden mechanism of how social media works and the consequences of it. Before watching the film, answer the questions on worksheet M2.

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

1. What is the aim of a documentary film?

PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

1. What is the aim of a documentary film?

• Explaining a certain topic/ make people aware of a certain topic/ issue

• Persuade people/ attack someone (the person/ organization responsible for a problem)

• Improving sth.

• Entertainment

• Profit?

M2 PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

2. What are criteria for a “good” documentary?

M2 PRE-VIEWING ACTIVITIES

2. What are criteria for a “good” documentary?

• interesting, entertaining
• interesting pictures (not only interviews and speeches)
• information/ topic easy to understand
• relevant information/ not only interesting for a minority
• reliable, trustworthy sources (sources mentioned)
• objective sources (without political, cultural, commercial bias = Voreingenommenheit)

• interview partners, experts with a good reputation, good qualifications
• suitable references are provided to verify statements
• experts agree on the information provided
• information is complete (what is left out?)
• information is current enough, up to date
• film techniques are used appropriately/ do not manipulate the audience

dilemma

dystopia

3. Define the following terms and give examples for them.

dilemma

dystopia

3. Define the following terms and give examples for them.

Situation in which the alternatives to be chosen are both not satisfactory/ will have a result you do not want.

dilemma

dystopia

3. Define the following terms and give examples for them.

Situation in which the alternatives to be chosen are both not satisfactory/ will have a result you do not want.

The idea of a bad or unfair society in the future, after something terrible has happened/ has developed; it is a society where there is a lot of suffering.

While watching the documentary, focus on tasks 1 -4 on worksheet M3.

M3 - While-Viewing activities

1. Point out the negative and positive aspects of social media mentioned in the documentary.

Positive:

• Finding former friends or family members you haven’t had contact with for a long period of time.

• Finding a donor organ.

1. Point out the negative and positive aspects of social media mentioned in the documentary.

• Connection between mental health and social media (Snapchat dysmorphia)
• Internet/ technological addiction
• Fake news
• Bubbles
• Cyber attacks
• Radicalization via the internet

• Information age => disinformation age

• Elections hacked
• Polarization of society

2. How does the film

explain the negative effects of social media?

Use the quotations to answer the question.

3. Explain what is meant by the “existential threat”.

Social media/ tech industry pose an existential threat to humanity => polarization, wars, no communication possible any longer …

4. What solutions are offered in the film to solve the problem?

The solutions lie within oneself:

- start conversations about the issues/problems with social media

- uninstall useless apps

- reduce/turn off notifications

- use a different browser that does not store your search history (for example: Qwant)

- do not accept recommendations

- fact-check before you share

- follow people that have different points of view

- protect your children/siblings

- rules at home: talk about a starting age, work out a time budget

- delete your social media account

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

1. How does the documentary try to convince its viewers? How is the documentary structured? Analyse the structure of the beginning of the film. Write down your notes into the table on worksheet M4.

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

0:00~3:24

Experts from tech industry who used to work e.g. for Google Drive, Facebook, Twitter, Gmail Chat, Pinterest are introduced; They helped to develop the “products” (without knowing the negative consequences) but left their former employers due to ethical reasons. They are asked the question whether “there is a problem” with social media.

=> Experts: trustworthy/ insight into tech industry

=> If even experts are concerned, we also have to be concerned.

=> The answers show that the “problem” is noting that can be solved easily.

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

3:24 ~ 5:55

Headlines read by newsreaders/ dark/somber (düster)” music => negative aspects of social media are mentioned.

Introduction of the family (stereotypical roles)

=> Headline: proof/ credibility

=> Family: like in a TV series; catches viewer to continue watching/ might identify with the family/ interested in how the story continues

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

5:55 ~ 6:59

Tristan Harris preparing his speech about a new agenda for technologies on stage

He starts talking and stops – seems concerned/ can’t talk about the problem

=> Stresses the point: audience knows some problems, but not what is beneath of everything

=> frightens people/ stresses the importance of the problem

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

7:00 ~10:22

Harris talks about his message: not only should the tech industry know about the problem, but everyone. He says what he wants for the future (tech industry takes the responsibility)

Harris talks about his own experiences; frustrated with tech industry [Once sent a presentation about the problem to colleagues (at Google), they agreed on it; problem was ignored by Larry Page].

=> Creates the idea Harris vs. tech industry

=> good vs. bad

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

~12:52

Business model Google introduced by Tim Kendall/ former Executive Facebook

=> advertising model

Family story continues.

Author in TV show (“How much it's wrecking our lives”)/ Jaron Lanier: 10 arguments for deleting our social media accounts right now): What are the companies paid for?

=> trustworthiness

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

~ 12:52 ~ 22:02

Experts like Roger McNamee/ Early Investor in Facebook talk about the problem of how social media makes money: Data/ “user is sold”/ social media not free/ paid for by advertisers/ pay in exchange for showing their ads to us / our attention is the product sold to them

Family again/ interrupted by experts

“We fed the system with our data”

Scenario: boy in film led by tech industry (=> three men) =>Truman Show

=> Mentioning the deeper problem: 1: we are the product and 2. They influence us

=> Proof for how much our behaviour is influenced by social media

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

2. Use your criteria concerning a good documentary and assess whether “The social dilemma” is a good documentary.

What is your opinion?

M4 - Post-Viewing activities

3. The documentary is called “the social dilemma”. Comment on this title by using your definitions for “dilemma” and “dystopia”.

Would you call it a dilemma or dystopia?

4. Work in groups. Read the text and summarize your review of the documentary for the others.

Other opinions on The Social Dilemma

Süddeutsche Zeitung

• No dilemma, dystopia
• Some statements are too short or even wrong  social media => raise in suicide rates: BUT: financial background/ family background, lack of a health insurance etc. not mentioned/ taken into consideration.
• Human beings are depicted as incapable to deal with social media  human beings like guinea pigs.
• It is not shown how the problem could be solved.

New York Times

• The fictionalized narrative (family) and the way the film is directed with all its hyperbolic emphasis leads to the problem that there is more emphasis on the medium than the message.
• Examples like riots and polarization are shown without talking about the context.
• Mental illness linked to social media but not to aspects such as a rise in economic insecurity.
• Movie = offered on Netflix  leads to another node (Knotenpunkt) in the “service’s data-based algorithm.”

Der Tagesspiegel

• Documentary film grabs the viewer’s attention, you can’t stop watching it => this is something the film criticizes about social media

• Quote: "Der Film von Regisseur Jeff Orlowski entwickelt so einen enormen Sog. Und genau das wünschen sich soziale Medien wie Facebook, TikTok – oder eben Netflix"

Deutschlandfunk

• Hardly anything is presented that is really new
• Exaggerations: music => feeling of a psycho thriller
• Information by journalists used (=> lack of references)
• Family: stereotypes; exaggerations, caricatures
• With the fictitious family and the idea that the son is manipulated by a control center, the film is rather a movie than a documentary.
• Many experts, hardly any practical ideas to solve the problem
• Polarized thinking (tech industry = bad/ former employees good)

What can students

of your age do to

change their online behavior to the better?

Transfer

THANKS

for the good work

The Social Dilemma

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Transcript