Blog Post #3

 Summary

After viewing the Social Dilemma on Netflix, my perspective of social media and technology had been completely changed. I, like most viewers, had no idea any of this was going on behind the scenes. Numerous social media experts from various social media companies expose how companies are using us to buy their products through social media. We are almost being manipulated by the curated algorithms set to make us want to purchase products that come up as ads on our social media. These algorithms are changing the way we think and view the world because they are catered to us based on what we have viewed in the past. Social media has become a highlight reel for users to show off the good points of their lives and even causes them to change their behavior or appearance in the hope for more "likes" on their social media. This has led to numerous mental health issues in the younger generation. 

Analysis

One quote from this documentary that really stuck with me was "if you aren't paying for the product, then you are the product". It could be said that when companies try to sell us their products on our social media; the gradual change in our perception and behavior after seeing the ad multiple times could be considered the product. Our attention is being sold to these advertisers by our social media accounts. Marketers are not concerned about our wellbeing, but want to figure out how to get as much of our attention as they can in order to make a profit. 

Another quote that struck me from this film was that "there are only two industries that call their customers users: drugs and software". As a millennial, I did not grow up with social media and my parents would not let me have a Facebook account until I was in high school. My sister, who is Gen Z, did grow up with social media and I watched this be a problem for her and her generation. Her main form of communication is Snapchat and she has multiple Instagram accounts - one for close friends and one for everybody else. We constantly find ourselves comparing our lives to others on social media. It is so important to remember that people do not share the negative parts of their lives on social media. They want to market their social media page in a positive light, almost as a highlight reel of their life, in order to generate more followers and likes. Unfortunately this is not reality and has been proven to promote an unhealthy mentality.