THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

The Social Dilemma is a Netflix documentary, its core purpose is to portray the harsh reality of social networking, its pitfalls and the bare truth behind companies such as Google, Facebook, Instagram and more. It highlights how impactful the application designs are and how it effects our brain and behavioural responses. The main speakers in this documentary are Gisondo, Kara Hayward, Vincent Kartheiser.

To begin with, subtle manipulation plays with our brains in ways even unknown to us. Technology and subtle manipulation is no less than a deadly combination. One of the main subtle manipulation is constantly showing advertisements of the previously searches clothes, accessories to the point that I actually end up buying it. This could be the rule of three yeses that says that at some point we as humans tend to agree with the other party and their requirements. More importantly, I have become less careful and conscious of the hidden costs they add after the actual order over the past years. Initially, when online buying had just started I used to be very stern on not ordering anything which has extra charges,but its no longer the case.

Nowadays, many behavioural changes are evident in people. Firstly, people have become frequent users of Instagram than they  were before the new updates and application colour, design transformation. The shift from facebook to instagram is very prominent not just in me but in the whole set of current generation. I believe the “addictive” Instagram design of  of scrolling up continuously must have triggered this sudden shift and attracted many users. “the new scrolling up” design is made keeping in mind the gambling tendencies of people and gambling machines can pull you towards them such as SLOT MACHINES.

When you introspect, you can realise changes in your notification checking patterns, personally the red notification dot captures all my attention. This was not the case few years back where the notification colour was simply green or grey. Also, 4 years back the home screen would show the number of notifications but now instead of the number the banners have increased which just makes us feel like there is so much that we are missing out on,hence I need to open the app instantly.

Secondly, the concept of tagging each other, and mentioning each other in stories sort of drive more attention in other people’s live than it was before. It is a lot more tempting now to “stalk” people online may it be celebrities or such my own friends.

Thirdly, I get a lot more tensed especially when it comes to coordinating plans with friends, booking uber or just waiting for the uber. The desire to get everything instantly has just strengthened more and more . I can not ideally and patiently sit in one place waiting for someone or something to arrive.

Another popular manipulation is introduced on Instagram recently where the types of posts on our feed depends on the previously liked posts by you, hence they literally predict our likes and dislikes and show us what we have high chances to stay glued on. In this way we end up spending hours seeing posts and scrolling waiting for returns and reinforcements. This subtle manipulation has made me more lethargic and less likely to exit the application. However, with growing awareness I try my best to control my behaviour but it is frightening to realise that even after being aware I am unable to control my behavioural response. It is nothing less than addiction or dependency.

The most heartbreaking thing would be the string of regret and compulsion of using the phones and technology against one’s will. On one hand, technology  keeps us connected to people from my childhood, we will never loose any detail of what is happening in whose life. The social connections and socialisations  is at its peak. In a way technology is indifferently satisfying the strongest need of human being- interpersonal relationships: the power of growth and networking. May it be professional, personal, romantic relationships applications are helping us build but majorly they are filling or at least pretending to fill the void we all have somewhere from unfulfilled interpersonal relationships.

On the other hand, the symptoms of addictive substance users, or obsessive and compulsive behavioural aspects are  more prominent and uncontrollable.  Productivity at work decreases due to this dependency. We might even reach the point of optimal utilisation and stagnation.

If people keep replicating artworks off google, pinterest, years from now we might lose the ability to think, imagine or even modify our thoughts into something creative. The very basic quality of mankind: creative thinking will be diminished.

And what worries me more than that is the fact that I am aware and yet I can not “ not surrender” to it. Technology has become an integral part of our lives , one of our basic needs, we can not separate it from us. For many it is the only source of social identity they have.

The thing that worries me more is when I imagine how will be ever raise my children and keep them away from technology at least for the initial years of development because everywhere I look there is blue screen screaming at us to give it a look. Even classrooms have smart boards, most of the schools demand for tablets. Where are we going in reality? How will be ever raise our children with zero exposure of bluelight and screens? Technology can really make or break us few years from now.

Definitely,  I want to change my technology based habits to have a better future. The most important is the body posture which is suffering due to excessive and compulsive use of the phones. I would really want to become calmer and resistant towards technology. I literally struggle to keep away from my phone screen in the morning. Due to the increased awareness about the consequences I try my best not to use the phone for 2 hours after waking up. This is the most crucial habit I want to maintain. Another one would be not using technology as an escape from anxious feelings and uncertainty. Simply example of waiting for a train to arrive for college, but even if the train is 2 minutes late I tense up and keep checking updates on the train app or start calling friends or scroll on instagram aimlessly. Instead I would like to be in the moment and accept the fact that the train is late and its okay!

More importantly, technology has given us literally everything , its like spoonfeeding a baby. Whenever I want to sketch or paint rather than just going ahead with my internal ideas, I google and see 10 different paintings and tend to replicate the same.  When was the last time we actually indulged in something original ? we even started copying dressing styles, hairstyles, makeup, creative works, prints, we are slowly becoming photocopies of each other. I can barely trust my own idea or artwork anymore. The ability to have judgments on our own work is shattered due to new updates where we can ask for others’ judgments on our own work. The ability to appreciate your creation is lost somewhere between just attracting your followers with works that appeal to them according to the trends. Getting back the confidence I had in my own artworks that i painted out of imagination and not google images is an important change I want to see in myself.

Moreover, the most used technology habit in this era is use of “filters” on Snapchat, Instagram it has even come on zoom meetings, is most deceiving to our own eyes and to the public. Thus, i would like to stop completely the use of filters to beautify myself for a better tomorrow, a tomorrow where I can look in the mirror and appreciate what I was, what I have become and what I will become. Rather than seeing myself in an illusion of filters and unconsciously being uncomfortable in my own skin.

These some very personal points of introspection I have come across that i want to change for better. Some other common habits could be scrolling through phone while doing any other activity even watching tv, snapping all the food you eat, whatever you do, keeping location on so others know where you are, ordering the same top which is trending on instagram, googling the new movie release and reading reviews and plot before seeing it, inability to remember phone numbers, birthdays, significant days because everything is now saved.

To end with, the title really justifies the topic “The Social Dilemma”, it has given us an insight about something that we will treasure for a healthy living .

So what are the some habits you want to change?

Feel free to comment below!