LINK to article on Badger Herald website: https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2020/09/29/power-of-phones-revealed-in-netflixs-social-dilemma/
I think we all know we are addicted to our phones. Not all of us are entirely willing to admit it, but if you feel obligated to check your phone right when you wake up or pause what you are saying when your phone buzzes, you are likely addicted. It’s weird to even say that word, “addiction.” You only hear that word associated with substance abuse, but, well, we are abusing our phones. We cannot get enough of them.
I watched The Social Dilemma over the weekend, a new documentary released on Netflix, explaining the society and cultural consequences of social media. I put my phone away to watch the movie, but felt wrong when my hand itched to pick it up when I heard that familiar buzz. I paused the movie to check my phone once. Shit, this is exactly what they are talking about! I put it away, but in the back of my mind, I felt compelled to see the familiarity of notifications bubbling up on my lock screen.
This documentary is an absolute must-watch. It is not only eye opening, but it is so telling of the technological industry. The testimonies given by the computer scientists, marketers, and developers of the devices we keep in our hands do not even allow their children to have them. They do not even use the product that they create. That should be our first red flag.
The documentary is a mashup of the testimonies and warnings from major seats in these famous tech companies, like Google, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter actively speaking out about how harmful social media has become to society and younger generations. They also speak out about the true complexity of the inner workings of these devices--these devices know everything about you. Your personality, your hobbies, your mood that day, who is in proximity to you--and use your own psychology to keep you glued to that app, where you see strategically placed advertisements gaining exposure, which in turn, pays the app. When something is free, like our social media apps, we become the product.
The documentary also includes short clips of visual examples of what social media is doing to our youth--it follows the story of a teenage boy, being misled by political ads on his social medias, getting caught in his own echo chamber of thoughts, telling great lengths of what social media can do to a democracy and society.
At the end of this documentary, the creators share tips on how to begin to regain our mind, our self will, and get rid of that itch in the back of our mind that tells us we need to check our phones. It is a dopamine and control cycle that we are all mindlessly caught up in. The creators or workers associated with major social apps all mentioned that they have the notifications for their phone turned off, and most of them do not even have social media. So, I turned my social media notifications off.
It is WEIRD, I’ll tell ya that. When I check my phone in the morning, I get excited to see a whole list of notifications to scroll through. But now, my phone screen is blank. I am not notified when I get likes on Instagram or Twitter, or when someone Snapchats me. It feels a bit lonely, but I also feel much more in control of when I check my phone. I also noticed how huge a source of dopamine my phone notifications were to me and need to get used to not having that.
Overall, this documentary almost felt like it gave me a key to the shackles I live in. I know I am addicted to my phone, and I know a lot of people who are, too. And I don’t blame any of us. Our phones and social media are designed to keep you attached to them. Each and every one of us has an intensely precise algorithm that has been formulated by each and every action we take over social media to keep us engaged and continuously scrolling. This documentary shows you the ugly truth of it all. It is okay if you do not want to change or better your phone habits after this, but you must inform yourself of what you are dealing with before you make that decision.
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