The Social Dilemma-What is the Societal Cost of Advancing Technology
One of the most amazing inventions in recent memory is the smart phone. The ability to get or do just about anything on these small devices is nothing short of miraculous. Hungry? Order Uber eats. Doing a school project? Look up a website with the information you need in less than a few seconds. Need a location? Use Google Maps to guide your directions and pinpoint a location. Shopping? Just a few clicks on your phone and the item you need will quickly show up at your front door. Want to catch up with friends and family? Log in to the social media platform of your choice and swipe away. Technology is advancing so quickly that our ability to get information, acquire things and communicate is easier and more appealing than ever before. In theory, this is an amazing achievement, but one must ask what is the cost to society as a whole?
The Social Dilemma examines the changes that are occurring as a result of this burgeoning technology. This documentary examines the premise that we have already gone past the point of maintaining our privacy on social media and shows how companies are using our personal data to literally change how we think and how we behave. Frankly, it is disturbing to see how seemingly subtle changes create large consequences. Over time, what we think to be decisions we make based on our wants, needs and personal preferences might actually be artificially influenced without our knowledge. I’ve often wondered how a product I am considering for purchase ends up advertised on my newsfeed on Facebook or Instagram. The documentary shows it is because of technology that companies use to track our social media presence. Using algorithms, these companies can deduce with precise accuracy what a consumer is interested in, who they interact with, and then manipulate that consumer through their social media profiles. Over time, this manipulation becomes more insidious. The monetization of social media platforms is in full force. “Third party data brokers, or companies that buy and sell information on customers, have become massively influential in the era of big data. For social media platforms, which capture large amounts of data, these transactions present an enormous new stream of revenue” (Brogrunier, 2019).
The entire documentary was compelling, but one quote that really resonated with me in particular was “if you aren’t paying for the product, you ARE the product.” The attention of consumers is what is being sold to advertisers-social media users are an actual commodity. Companies are building models to predict our actions and whoever does this best is the most successful. As consumers, ascertaining what is fact- what is real- is becoming increasingly difficult as the algorithms continue to become better and better at discovering how to get the data they want to learn about us to control our behavior.
The part of the documentary that had the greatest impact on me personally was the preteen daughter who was addicted to her phone. As the mother of five children, I have seen firsthand that the way the child reacted to having her phone taken away was not necessarily an exaggeration. My youngest is 11 and she is being raised in an environment that is different than that of her siblings. Technology is considerably more sophisticated than it was when her brothers and sister were her age. She becomes aggressive and agitated if I take her phone away, and there is not a true understanding that having a phone is a privilege, instead of a necessity, and this is typical behavior for her age group. This was not something I needed to monitor to the extent I do now with my other children, and it is deeply concerning. I make sure her Tik Tok account is set to private and that her followers are all people I know, but I’m not naive enough to believe that she is not being affected by the amount of time she is on her phone or iPad.
Perhaps more concerning was the way the pre teen girl was affected by one innocuous comment about her ears on the picture she posted. “ Social media has a reinforcing nature. Using it activates the brain’s reward center by releasing dopamine, a feel good chemical linked to pleasurable activities such as sex, food, and social interaction. The platforms are designed to be addictive and are associated with anxiety, depression, and even physical ailments” (McLean Hospital, 2022). Her whole demeanor changed in an instant, she went from exhibiting happiness that her friends were commenting complimentary things on the post to despondency. Considering the original picture was changed with filters and accentuated to make her look more appealing shows how people are not comfortable showing their true selves on social media in the first place.
Children are addicted to their smart phones and to social media, and this alone is alarming. Furthermore, it is established that there “can be a link between social media and body image. With access to an infinite feed of content, the online realm can change (your) view on physical reality” (D’Amore Mental Health, 2022). Adults have a hard enough time with the artificial aspects of social media-seeing other users with seemingly perfect lives, families, and jobs is enough to cause depression and dissatisfaction. Children are not equipped to deal with the mental anguish that social media can cause, their brains and psyches are still maturing. It is too much for them to process and understand. Social media can be a trigger for anxiety and anger, or depression. The need for more likes or comments on a post to boost one’s self esteem is indicative of much bigger problem.
Personally, I use social media to stay updated with friends and family and to promote my businesses. Facebook and Instagram are the platforms I use most frequently because they are the platforms most used by my age group, and they are extremely effective in helping to advertise my restaurants. However, I need to set some parameters on my smartphone and social media usage because I recognize that currently it would be very difficult for me to cut back. It is imperative that I set an example for my daughter, and help her to realize how harmful this can be. The fact that most of the people in the documentary severely limit their children’s screen time, if they allow it at all, is an awakening. We are at a true disadvantage, “the weaponization of social media platforms is an extreme example of what can happen…where their single-minded pursuit of rewards could promote unexpected, undesirable human behaviors. The AI’s don’t care about these, but the humans who create them and operate them must” (Harvard Business Review, 2021).
While the premise promoted by some of the experts featured in this documentary is that people should consider deleting their social media profiles, this is not feasible for everyone. What can be considered is a concerted effort to limit time on the platform and on our phones altogether as a way to create a healthy relationship between social media, technology, and society as a whole. Regulation is a good start, making sure the social media platforms are monitored with how they interact and make suggestions to users is paramount. Having parents set limits on their children’s smartphone usage (and their own for that matter) is also important. Overall, we need to collectively recognize that this is a slippery slope, and if AI can change and manipulate how we think, feel and act we have to take steps to be vigilant in protecting ourselves and our children.
3 Rules to Manage AI’s Unintended Consequences. Harvard Business Review. (2021, August 30). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://hbr.org/2021/05/5-rules-to-manage-ais-unintended-consequences
Brogunier, T. (2019, February 22). 4 Reasons Why Social Media Has Become so Toxic and What to Look for Next. Entrepreneur. Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/328749
The Relationship Between Social Media and Body Dysmorphia: D’amore. D’amore Mental Health. (2022, January 26). Retrieved March 25, 2022, from https://damorementalhealth.com/social-media-and-body-dysmorphia/#elementor-toe_heading-anchor-2
The Social Dilemma-a netflix original documentary.(n.d.) The Social Dilemma. https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/
The social dilemma. Social Media and Your Mental Health. Here’s How Social Media Affects Your Mental Health. McLean Hospital. (2022, January 21). Retrieved March 24, 2022, from https://www.mcleanhospital.org/essential/it-or-not-social-medias-affecting-your-mental-health