OPINION: Alarm Bells Ringing on Education Technology
Dec 28, 2020 at 09:52 am by
WGNS
OP-ED by JC Bowman and Scott Cepicky with the Professional Educators of TN
The 2020 Netflix movie, The Social Dilemma, explores the growth of social media and the damage it has caused to society. It features interviews with many former executives and professionals from tech companies and social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Apple who sounded the alarm on their industry.
The Social Dilemma asserts that tech companies exploit and manipulate their users for financial gain through surveillance capitalism and data mining. The movie is very thought-provoking and chillingly points out: “Never before have a handful of tech designers had such control over the way billions of us think, act, and live our lives.” It goes into depth on how social media's design is meant to nurture an addiction, manipulate its use in politics, and spread conspiracy theories. The Social Dilemma paints the picture of a dangerous human impact on society and the serious issue of social media's effect on mental health (including the mental health of adolescents and rising teen suicide rates).