Harman Patil (Editor)

The Social Dilemma (Docudrama Film)

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Country
  
United States

Language
  
English

Director
  
Jeff Orlowski

On the left, is the title of the docudrama film, The Social Dilemma while on the right, Skyler Gisondo looking at his cellphone

Writer's
  
Davis Coombe, Vickie Curtis, Jeff Orlowski

Production company
  
Exposure Labs, Argent Pictures,The Space Program

Runtime
  
94 minutes

Release Date
  
January 26, 2020 (Sundance), September 9, 2020 (United States)

Composer
  
Mark A. Crawford

Aspect Ratio
  
16:9 HD

Genres
  
Documentary, Drama

The Social Dilemma | Official Trailer | Netflix


Originally premiered in early 2020 at the Sundance Festival, The Social Dilemma started making newer (and more potent) waves after being released on Netflix in September 2020. Focusing on the far-reaching perils of social media, it has both garnered and provoked discussion, with respect to our increased dependence on these sites during the Coronavirus pandemic. 

Contents

The documentary minces no frame in talking about the negative consequences of social media. The dilemma is not about whether social media is ‘good’ for us or not. The dilemma at the heart of the docudrama is: how do we continue to use social media platforms after knowing what we do ?


Facts

On the left, is the title of the docudrama film, The Social Dilemma while on the right, is a cellphone showing a skull and social media icons

    •  There’s quite a lot of intrigue that we find in the making of this Netflix film as well. For one, it features Tristan Harris, who previously worked at Google. He left it to form the Centre for Humane Technology, to promote digital ethics, such as prioritizing free will. It is no wonder that the Atlantic Journal called him the “conscience of the Silicon Valley.” While the likes of Harris were all too okay with being on this social media expose, others were sceptical.

Skyler Gisondo browsing on different social media platforms while wearing a black and white shirt in a scene from the 2020 film, The Social Dilemma

    •  One interviewee admitted to consulting their lawyers for almost eight months before giving his nod to being featured on the docudrama. One thing is for sure - there is no dilemma about The Social Dilemma being a gripping watch.

Plot

Skyler Gisondo lying on the bed while browsing on different social media platforms in a scene from the 2020 docudrama film, The Social Dilemma

The Social Dilemma evaluates the growing effect that social media gains on individual lives, and more. It begins with a panel of interviewees naming the companies they had worked for previously. All of them have left their jobs citing ethical and personal reasons, both about the overreaching control that social media exercises. 

The film documents the interviewees speaking of their observations and issues about social media from their work experiences. Simultaneously, the drama section of it is interspersed between the interviews, revolving around a dramatized sequence following a family. We see preteens and teens compelled to go through stories on social media, and how they fall prey to a rabbit hole of recommendations. 

There is a back and forth of interviews and dramatizations, which creates the docudrama in its entirety. AI is the boss: many tech company employees confessed to not fully understanding the capacity of AI, drawing freaky mental parallels to Frankenstein’s monster.

Review

A cellphone with a crack displaying a poster of the 2020 American docudrama film, The Social Dilemma that will be showing on Netflix

Without a doubt, the docudrama achieves what it implies through its title. The film offers the audience the dilemma of having to navigate through social media. 

As you watch, you will repeatedly get the urge to throw your phone out of the window. Dramatic as that sounds, it is true: the documentary is incredibly successful in achieving what it sets out to do. The awakening that the makers aimed at is emboldened by the list of social media-specific measures that roll along with the end credits. 

However, that is exactly where it leaves us: without any credible solution. That’s where The Social Dilemma falls short of its potential, offering us nothing more than a jolt of fear.

References

The Social Dilemma (Docudrama Film) Wikidata
(Text) CC BY-SA



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