Skip to main content

My Reflection on “Social Dilemma”

 After watching The Social Dilemma, I couldn’t stop thinking about the way social media has been quietly shaping my thoughts, my habits, even my self worth. The film isn’t just another warning about screen time. It’s a disturbing look into how platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and TikTok are designed to mess with our minds, all in the name of keeping us addicted to our phones.

What really hit me was hearing former insiders from companies like Google and Facebook admit that these platforms aren’t neutral tools but they are truly built to manipulate the users mind. Every scroll, like, and notification is carefully engineered to trigger the same part of the brain that gets activated similar to when someone is gambling or on drugs. It’s not about giving us what we need, it’s about feeding us what keeps us online the longest.

I started thinking about how often I pick up my phone without even realizing it. How a simple notification or text can change my mood on that day. How I’ve felt anxious or insecure after spending time on certain apps, comparing my life to their collected snapshots of other people’s. The film puts this under a microscope and shows that it’s not just personal but it’s by design.

One of the most powerful parts of The Social Dilemma is a dramatized story of a teenager slowly being pulled into an online echo chamber. You see how the algorithm learns his behavior, pushes him toward more extreme content, and isolates him from real world connections. It felt uncomfortably familiar. I’ve seen that slow drift in people I know. I’ve even felt it in myself especially when it comes to communicating with others outside of social media.

The documentary doesn’t offer easy solutions, but it does something more important: it wakes you up. It made me question how I spend my time online, what I’m giving up in exchange for “free” platforms, and how much of my mental energy I’ve handed over without noticing. Since watching, I’ve started setting boundaries, turning off non-essential notifications, limiting app usage, and being more mindful about when and why I pick up my phone. It’s not a complete fix, but it’s a start. If you haven’t seen The Social Dilemma yet, I highly recommend it. Not because it has all the answers, but because it asks the questions we should’ve been asking a long time ago.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Chapter 7: Marketing with Snapchat

In chapter 7 we moved on to talking about another popular social media app mainly catered to young adults, Snapchat. With its unique features and a user base of over 300 million daily active users Snapchat stands out as a powerful tool for brands to connect with potential customers in creative ways. Here’s how you can leverage Snapchat’s unique tools to boost your brand’s presence and engage effectively with your audience. One of Snapchat’s most powerful features is its geofilters. These location-based filters allow businesses to create branded content that users can apply when they are in a specific geographic area. Whether you’re hosting an event, opening a new store, or running a local promotion, geofilters are a fun and creative way to increase brand visibility and engage with people in real-time. Users will share their snaps with your branded filter, creating organic exposure for your business and encouraging others to discover your brand. Snapchat’s sponsored lenses provide a u...
2 comments
Read more

Social Media Marketing using TikTok Shop

In this week's chapter we talked about social media marketing on the constantly growing app TikTok and in this post I want to dig a bit deeper into one of TikTok’s newest features. It has already been well established that TikTok has proven itself to be more than just a platform for viral dances and memes. With over 1 billion active users, it’s become a powerhouse for brands looking to connect with audiences in creative and authentic ways. And with the introduction of TikTok Shop, the platform has officially blurred the lines between content and commerce, opening up new possibilities for marketers and businesses of all sizes. At its core, TikTok thrives on short form video content that feels organic and engaging. Unlike traditional ads, TikTok videos are often native in feel, blending storytelling, humor, trends, and creativity. This authenticity builds trust, and trust is gold in marketing. Now, with TikTok Shop, that trust can be converted directly into sales without users ever l...
1 comment
Read more

Week 2: The Lift that almost took me out!

       Hello to my readers we are now on week 2 of my spring camp journey. To do a small recap on what happened last week we just began the year and had our first team meeting with the head coach to go over the standard and go over the scheduling for the following spring season. Also that slipped my mind last week is that we have now added a brand new strength coach who I’m a fan of and that some of our former players are going to be the assistant strength coach which I believe will help us get over the hump this coming season. Now to get into this week after a bit of a recap, we have finally gotten to week two and to be all honest it was a way harder week then the first one.   Starting off strong on Monday we had our usual morning lifts. Now mind you our lifts are a different style then it was last year and what I mean by that is last year we were big on force output on our weight which I excelled at but now it’s a bit different with Coach Walker (The strengt...
1 comment
Read more