Monday, March 8, 2021

3SocStructure Lesson 11 Social Dilemma



The Social Dilemma
A 2020 documentary called The Social Dilemma (available on Netflix) details the influence of social media.  
(TEACHERS NOTE: There is a free and easy-to-use accessibility solution available now for educators who register their event on our website. Since you may have already registered an event(s) in the past few months, we’re linking directly to the Educator Resources document that includes details on how to access the film. When you plan to screen the film again, please re-register your event to receive permission and an up-to-date password for the screening link, which changes frequently.)



  • The documentary was made by dozens of tech executives who have expressed concern about the influence of social media.  
  • The documentary is interspersed with a docudrama that shows how social media is in the background shaping the lives of one family.

The beginning of the movie raises the question, "What is the problem?"
Jaron Lanier explains that,
it is not just that, "we are the product and that our attention is the product being sold to advertisers.  That's a little too simplistic.  It is the gradual, slight, imperceptible change in your own behavior and perception that is the product.  And that is the product.  That is the only possible product...."