The Social Dilemma Movie Review

Have you ever seen the movie The Social Dilemma? We watched it last week in my social media class, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It explores social media and its impact on our daily lives. Technically, this film is both a documentary and a movie, as it aims to inform and educate while also using fictional stories to emphasize the point the directors are trying to convey to the audience. As someone who enjoys watching many types of movies and films, I wasn’t sure if I would like something that was a mix of both. Honestly, I think the mix made the film more interesting and unique, since the audience gets social commentary from those who worked in the industry while also getting an entertaining story featuring fictional characters relevant to the commentary. After watching this film, I see why it became so popular during its release in 2020, and I would recommend watching it if you haven’t. It is especially important for people between the ages of 18 and 34 to see this movie because they are the generation that grew up with social media and are, therefore, most affected by it. The film discusses the problems with social media and how its evolution over time has become problematic. 

While I love social media and think it’s a great way to express yourself, I agree that it has become very addictive and almost dangerous. While the initial purpose of social media was to help us communicate easily with friends, family and colleagues through online platforms, it has practically become a contest of who has the most interesting content and the most followers. My generation focuses so heavily on posting to social media and how we look to the public that we forget to live in the moment. We can find a balance between posting to stay connected and experiencing life in real time. However, I think my age group is able to understand both the benefits and consequences of social media, so many people choose not to use it very often—if at all. Kids between ages 9 and 15, on the other hand, don’t fully understand social media and often believe they must use it to fit in. Honestly, I am more worried for the kids in future generations because I think social media as a whole will get worse, and people won’t know how to handle it. But that’s a blog topic for another day, so let’s get back to the film and the important themes it discussed. There are so many things I could go in depth about, but I want to focus on something I discovered through the movie that made me a little scared.

In the film, the creators mentioned that social media today is manipulative—and I’m not sure what to think about that. They stated that the algorithms on social media platforms use the content you’ve liked before to keep you on the app as long as possible. Like I said, I’m conflicted. The entire movie essentially criticizes social media, and I think the film’s take on “manipulation” was consistently strong throughout. I don’t entirely disagree with the film, but I do think some benefits of social media weren’t fully addressed. Overall, I liked the documentary because it taught me more about social media and the dangers that come with it. Even though I personally don’t spend much time on social media, I know the film did its job because it made me more conscious of how I use it. I’m sure it helped others understand how addictive these platforms have become, too. Now, I feel more educated and aware of social media, which will help me as I continue my journey with it throughout the rest of my career. I’m glad we watched this movie in class because I’m not sure I would have watched it on my own—but it was very informative. I recommend watching The Social Dilemma if you haven’t already, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.