Netflix recently made a documentary called “The Social Dilemma” that highlighted the negative side of social media platforms and their increasingly adverse effects on people and society with their increase in popularity over the decades.
Although the documentary made and raised a few great points it has been highly criticized by viewers and critics alike, some claiming it descends into sensationalism, portraying some actions in a greatly exaggerated manner, realistically, terrifying the viewer and making them wary of social media platforms and causing them, to focus greatly on the adverse effects rather than focus on the pros that outweigh the cons. This attempt to excite or scare viewers obscured the real meaning and message of the documentary.
However, no matter how obscure or fuzzy the real meaning of the documentary was it clearly struck a nerve with Facebook, which led to them publishing a long rebuttal to the claims made by the film. This type of behavior is highly uncharacteristic of Facebook but since they have decided to speak out on this matter it has raised some eyebrows along with quite a few questions.
Most of the time, Facebook remains silent on claims like these and it has had a fair share of reprovals but the fact that they decided to refute the claims made in the documentary has got users and people all over the internet as to what caused Facebook to break routine. Was a claim so close to the truth that it caused a reaction? Perhaps it was the fact that some users contemplated deleting their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Although we can only speculate the reason behind the report, it is worth it to read and understand what Facebook said.
The first point raised in the movie was of social media addiction, in response to this Facebook said that they prioritize meaningful social interaction. This looks to be an indirect answer and they seem to be trying to dodge the question.
The second point that was raised was that people are the “product”, Facebook responded by saying that they do not sell users' personal info nor do they intend to.
The third point raised was on algorithms, now this point was exaggerated and sensationalized as the reality behind algorithms is redundant and far from being a conspicuous part of social media.
The fourth and fifth points were on polarization and misinformation, Facebook stated that the majority of content seen by users is not polarizing or even mildly political; and that they had nothing to gain from the spread of misinformation on their platform.
Facebook has said all these same things in the past so there is nothing new or shocking there.
Read next: New Facebook Phishing Attacks Use Small Business Grants
Although the documentary made and raised a few great points it has been highly criticized by viewers and critics alike, some claiming it descends into sensationalism, portraying some actions in a greatly exaggerated manner, realistically, terrifying the viewer and making them wary of social media platforms and causing them, to focus greatly on the adverse effects rather than focus on the pros that outweigh the cons. This attempt to excite or scare viewers obscured the real meaning and message of the documentary.
However, no matter how obscure or fuzzy the real meaning of the documentary was it clearly struck a nerve with Facebook, which led to them publishing a long rebuttal to the claims made by the film. This type of behavior is highly uncharacteristic of Facebook but since they have decided to speak out on this matter it has raised some eyebrows along with quite a few questions.
Most of the time, Facebook remains silent on claims like these and it has had a fair share of reprovals but the fact that they decided to refute the claims made in the documentary has got users and people all over the internet as to what caused Facebook to break routine. Was a claim so close to the truth that it caused a reaction? Perhaps it was the fact that some users contemplated deleting their Facebook and Instagram accounts. Although we can only speculate the reason behind the report, it is worth it to read and understand what Facebook said.
The first point raised in the movie was of social media addiction, in response to this Facebook said that they prioritize meaningful social interaction. This looks to be an indirect answer and they seem to be trying to dodge the question.
The second point that was raised was that people are the “product”, Facebook responded by saying that they do not sell users' personal info nor do they intend to.
The third point raised was on algorithms, now this point was exaggerated and sensationalized as the reality behind algorithms is redundant and far from being a conspicuous part of social media.
The fourth and fifth points were on polarization and misinformation, Facebook stated that the majority of content seen by users is not polarizing or even mildly political; and that they had nothing to gain from the spread of misinformation on their platform.
Facebook has said all these same things in the past so there is nothing new or shocking there.
Read next: New Facebook Phishing Attacks Use Small Business Grants
