I am Gabriel and I have a Social Dilemma
I recently watched the movie “The Social Dilemma” on Netflix with my family. It is a movie about social media and it’s potential dangers. The documentary has various interviews with former top management employees and engineers of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, snapchat and Tiktok. I am very weary of a critical stance towards anything that is new. Sometimes especially in Christian circles there is a tendency to quickly label anything we are not used to as evil and I detest this. But what I saw in the movie really gave me much food for thought and I feel the need to enter into a conversation with people sharing my deepest held beliefs and conventions on the implications and possible response to the facts stated in the movie. Here is a summary of the most important things the movie taught me.
- Social media platforms, especially Facebook are not the charitable, free service it looks like on service level. You don’t pay to join or go on it but you are the product being sold. Your attention and engagement funds social media platforms.
- Facebook as does many other platforms, works with algorithms. What you like and not like, what you scroll over and pay attention to, who you meet up with and the articles you read leads to similar articles, interests and people being offered. These algorithms aren’t designed with the goal of human well-being or healthy child development. These two things aren’t even on its radar. Algorithms has the sole purpose of luring you to spend more time on social media and to pay attention to ads.
- The result of social media is the polarization of communities and societies. Everybody through being fed what they like and agree and feel strongly about by algorithms, wrongly assume their constructed reality is a generally accepted or even an uncontested one. People don’t get to hear the other side and get information divorced from crucial contextual and relational experience. People have way more access t facts but less exposure to the relationships, rituals and traditions that help weave those facts into a picture of reality that is shared by others.
- Children miss out on crucial social and emotional skills in their development even though they benefit from social media in other ways. Our brains simply isn’t wired to react and deal with what 200 people think of us. Social media already caused a spike in anxiety and suicide in teenagers.
- Although software and social platforms haven’t developed to the level where they are able to perform above human strengths (we still do many things computers aren’t able to do as well), they have now reached a level of development which is above human weaknesses. That means they are able to prey and capitalize on our desires, weaknesses and insecurity. Technology has never ever reach this level and the implications are significant yet still largely unknown.
- Social media and its polarizing effects has already started civil unrest and threatens the stability of democracy of powerful countries. Conspiracy Theories moved mainstream almost solely because of social media.
- Laws regulating social media and safeguarding human wellbeing are lightyears behind the pace this technology developed and are still developing. Our current laws are inadequate in protecting us from the negative effects of social media.
I am still processing all this, but I recognized myself and my society in what was described. The movie also doesn’t deny the positive things social media has brought about. It’s like social media has brought about both a dystopia and a utopia and it is difficult to discern which one is biggest and comes at how great a cost to the other. How to respond to this, is also a difficult question. I would ideally like to go about this and reach my conclusion with a group sharing my faith and general values, but here is a few preliminary thoughts:
- Installing limiting apps for social media and devices for kids is essential and it might also be necessary for limiting your own engagement to a healthy level.
- I should be much stricter about when and where devices are allowed in my household. As from yesterday my children are not even allowed to charge or have any device in their rooms.
- Don’t click on suggested video’s and links. It strengthens the algorithms, enabling platforms to steal more of your time and attention.
- Balance the attention you pay to people, books, subjects and nature with the time and attention you invest in social media. It will be a way to keep it in check.
- Get involved in something that requires your physical presence in your local community.
What can you add? What is your view on this? Facebook has become to me a ministry tool and I think it is still a good one. But this movie made me realize I should be on my guard that it doesn’t return the favour and turn me into its tool.
Gabriel J Snyman
September 15th 2020