User:COML509 2022/The Social Dilemma

Lead
The film features interviews with many former employees, executives, and other professionals from top tech companies and social media platforms such as Facebook, Google, Twitter, and Mozilla. These interviewees draw on their primary experiences at their companies to discuss how such platforms have caused problematic social, political, and cultural consequences. Some of the interviewees qualify that social media platforms and big tech companies have provided some positive change for society as well. The interviewees discus social media's role in political polarization in the United States and the influence that algorithmic advertising has had on political radicalization. The film also examines how social media platforms have impacted the spreading of fake news in recent years. These interviews are presented alongside scripted dramatizations of a teenager's social media addiction. These dramatizations draw attention to the raising concern of the radicalization of youth on the internet.

Scientific basis[edit]
The documentary argues that an extended amount of media consumption can subtly have a plethora of negative impacts on individuals, citing the following statistics:


 * A 62% increase in hospitalizations for American females aged 15–19 and a 189% increase in females aged 10–14 due to self harm, beginning in 2010–2011.
 * A 70% increase in suicide for females ages 15–19 and a 151% increase in females ages 10–14, beginning when social media was first introduced in 2009.

However, it presents no proof of causation.[citation needed]

Targeted Advertising

One of the main topics focused on in the film is the concept of Targeted advertising. Interviewees note the suspected selling of personal information of users by social media platforms, but emphasize that what is really being sold is the attention span of the users. Targeted Advertising uses information such as "prior search, browsing behavior, geographic and demographic information,". While the specifics of the algorithms behind targeted advertisements are generally kept private, studies have shown that the suggested advertisements are based on key words found in profile status updates or used in searches.

User Generated Content
User Generated Content (UGC) is one form of information that is commonly shared through social media platforms. UCG differs from adverts because it is publicly available information created by independent individuals. This information is typically not professionally created and is not funded by official companies. UGC is commonly linked with fake news.

Cyberpsychology
The Social Dilemma focuses on the impact social media usage has on cyberpsychology. Interviewees address how social media advertisements play a role in political polarization as well as the potential for political radicalization. The dramatization demonstrates a young male repeatedly being presented with suggested videos on social media from an individual preaching politically extremist views. Through repeated exposure and engagement extremist perspectives suggested on the boy's social media, he decides to engage in a protest where he finds reinforcement of these radical perspectives.

Radicalization through social media occurs globally and social media platforms have even been shown to be places for terrorist recruitment Notably, Twitter has been a platform that ISIS members and supporters have used to grow their support.

See also[edit]

 * Algorithmic radicalization
 * Communal reinforcement
 * Digital media use and mental health
 * Doomscrolling
 * False consensus effect
 * Filter bubble
 * Group polarization
 * Problematic social media use
 * Selective exposure theory
 * Search engine manipulation effect
 * Social media and psychology
 * Targeted advertising
 * The Social Network
 * Facebook-Cambridge Analytica Data Scandal
 * Cyberpsychology