Youngsters in Bengaluru are discontinuing using social media, after watching Netflix documentary 'The Social Dilemma '.

It took two days for Noor Zahira to digest the implications of using social media too much after she watched the Netflix documentary, The Social Dilemma. The documentary reveals the harsh reality and dangerous effects of social media. Ironically, the documentary has led to debates over the platforms that have made humans it's slave as people take everything on their social media accounts and how social media has become an integral part of a man's life. Zahira spent two hours researching about developers of various apps, their political connections, their privacy policies and so on.

Zahira, 21-year-old has now deleted her Instagram app and spends much lesser time on WhatsApp. “I prefer Telegram now. At least it doesn’t have any of that status or stories that WhatsApp has. I also ask my friends to switch to Telegram or Signal, which I think has better message encryption,” says the BA student, who now uses WhatsApp mainly to communicate just with her parents.

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This film made me sick. And I mean that in the best way possible. The Social Dilemma shines a light on the absolute filth and disgust that goes into the manipulation of technological users and subjects. It exposes truly just how deceptive and toxic these big tech companies are. Their number 1 goal is to have you dangerously addicted to your devices, and they will do whatever it takes in order to achieve its mission. They will pump your brain full of whatever propaganda that makes you tick, even at the risk (and some would argue, inevitability) of shaping your mind into that of a political extremist. It’s the legal indoctrination of a religion of hate and fear, and never has this been more clear than in 2020. This film could not have arrived at a more perfect (or in their case, inconvenient) time. My only flaw with this film is that there’s an actual “movie” (sort of) playing intercut with the documentary in order to illustrate the effects that big tech is having on our rising generation, and it can get pretty cheesy sometimes. It almost feels like a Hallmark film, in certain moments. Also this film has some pretty transparent political standings when it comes to conservatives and liberals, and I feel like this limits their audience. The topic of discussion applies to both sides of the political spectrum, but they sort of pretend it only really applies to one, and it makes the film seem more politically motivated than it should be. Overall, I highly recommend this film. It’ll absolutely change the way you look at your phone and social media, and it hasn’t left my mind since the moment I watched it. • • • #movie #movies #film #films #filmreview #moviereview #cinematography #director #cinema #movierecommendation #cinephile #cinephilecommunity #filmcommunity #thesocialdilemma #documentary #netflix #jakegyllenhaal #henrycavill #milliebobbybrown #timotheechalamet #leonardodicaprio #ryangosling #dune #screenwriter #tomholland #instagram #facebook #twitter #google #technology

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Youngsters around the city are now re-evaluating the time they spend on using social media after watching this documentary. 

Many like Zahira have decided to get rid of some apps while others like Chinmay MP have decided to regulate their usage more. “Every time an advertisement comes up on my social media feed, I think of the film", says Chinmay. 

Also Read: 4 shows to watch on Netflix that will drive away your depression on World Mental Health Day

"I have decided not to watch much of the recommended videos because that just feeds the algorithm and gives them more data on me,” says the 22-year-old, who is planning to follow profiles and people that express different viewpoints. “If I only follow things I agree with, it becomes an echo chamber for me to validate my own thoughts,” he explains, adding that he will also make sure that he takes a 45-minute gap for time spent on Twitter and Instagram.

Social media is addictive and the film was needed to pull the trigger over the right and mindful usage of the social media platforms.

Meghana Devotta, a therapist and researcher at the Mental Health Organisation Kaha Mind, says, " These are things we read about in bits and pieces everywhere but the film packages it neatly – with inputs from the very tech creators who designed the products. So, it helped speed up the process for many."

Since she has watched the film, Devotta too has started turning off notifications on her smartphone from 10 am to 7 pm these days. And this concern with social media, she says, seems to be strongest with those between the ages of 25 and 30 years. “The younger ones who have grown up with social media have lesser reported concerns,” she added.

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The Social Dilemma. Finally got round to watching this last night and thanks @cecilia.ccollins for telling me I really needed to see it! It’s fascinating,thought provoking and frankly a bit terrifying and lays out what we all already really know, that social media is addictive. There’s a lot of neuroscience stuff around persuasive technology,reward pathways,the pleasure pain balance and algorithms, but put simply it feeds into our hard wired human addiction to dopamine. As one of the ex Silicon valley tech insiders said ‘it’s as basic as the psychology of slot machines’. Or whatever your own personal ‘addiction’ may be. You often can’t stop even if you want to,or at least it’s very,very hard to control. But it was the facts around the huge rise in depression and suicide in young people in the last decade that really got me, and the opening quote from Sophocles ‘ Nothing vast enters the world of mortals without a curse’ which kind of sums it up. And yes realise the irony of posting this on social media but if you haven’t seen it already it’s really worth a watch. #thesocialdilemma #techissues 🎬📱.

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A large number of parents are concerned as well. Ishwarya Kumar Ahmed, a mother of two who keeps conducting digital detox programmes for her children, has been receiving calls from parents about the film. “The conversation about the effects of technology’s exposure on children has always been ongoing. But the film has reinforced what I already believed in - I don’t want my daughter to fall prey to filters that enhance her physical features. As a parent, I am going to try my hardest to make sure my children’s lives don’t revolve around social media,” she says. 

The documentary definitely has opened the eyes of parents and millennials who are likely more vulnerable to fall in the darkness of social media glittering space. It is anyhow safe for people to keep regulating the hours we spend on social media apps and what we share.