Do You Control Your Social Media or Does It Control You?

Facebook. WhatsApp. Twitter. Instagram. TikTok. Linkedin. Google. Baidu. Tinder. Weibo.WeChat.

What do all of the above have in common?

That they are almost all ‘social’ platforms where content is created BY the user, with the hope and aim to ‘connect’ with others by sharing their personal information, and where that information – often without their knowledge, or through unclear user consent agreements – is used by the platform to manipulate user behavior, target them with advertisements, or sold to companies that ‘mine data’ to track behavior, who then sell them to companies that want to sell products and services (‘surveillance capitalism’).

User data today is the most important assets for technology companies. According to an article in Forbes, social media platforms collect so much data that “they can’t remember all the ways they surveil us.” Another article by Vulcan Post talks about the types of data that these companies obtain from us.

(Source: https://vulcanpost.com/715788/how-social-media-firms-use-your-data/)

But it not just a film about privacy, but also about mental health. It is a film not just about how we think we control our social media, but about how we are not even aware that our social media controls us.

(Source: https://www.thesocialdilemma.com/the-dilemma/)

According to the film’s website, “Persuasive design techniques like push notifications and the endless scroll of your newsfeed have created a feedback loop that keeps us glued to our devices.”

It is not just a film about how the power of social media has been, or is being used to create positive social impact, but about how it’s unregulated power, often unintended, is being use to spread fake news, polarize users, and make brands profit from individuals through marketing campaigns and ads.

(Source: https://www.wsj.com/articles/facebook-knows-it-encourages-division-top-executives-nixed-solutions-11590507499)

It is a film about how a small number of engineers often make decisions for, or simply impact the behaviors and lives of billions of individuals. It is also a film about how unchecked use of social platforms has been leading to an increasing number of kids as well as adults feeling low self-worth, or empty or anxious for ‘recognition’ or approval of others. 

According to Independent, The Social Dilemma might be one of the most documentaries of 2020.

(Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/social-dilemma-netflix-film-media-facebook-twitter-algorithm-addiction-conspiracy-b454736.html)

But if you are still having a hard time digesting the above, think of how you repeatedly checked your Instagram or WeChat moments to see how many ‘likes’ you had received on something you posted. Or think of those times where not receiving enough ‘likes’ made you feel slightly empty or incomplete. Or how reading news on some social platform made you feel sad or depressed.

The Social Dilemma – Screening and Discussions Shanghai

The Social Dilemma screening will be hosted by Seeds of Change at Haworth Furnitures on 3 November 2020. It is a documentary that investigates the dark side of social media platforms and search engines. It was directed by Jeff Orlowski, also the director of some of our favorite documentaries, Chasing Ice and Chasing Coral. 

Filmscreening will be followed discussions with Emmanuel Benhiby, Founder, Cities of Love initiative, with over 20 years experience in films, mainly screenwriting, production and distribution. Emmanuel shares a deep vision to positively change the future of film and media.

We will also spend some time discussing how to avoid social media addiction as well as stay protected in these times of data theft and user manipulations.

Date

Location

19:00-21:00, 3 November 2020

欢迎来参加我们的活动

Haworth Furnitures

32F, Jingan Kerry CenterTower 1, 1515 Nanjing West Road, JingAn District, Shanghai

上海市静安区南京西路1515号静安嘉里中心一座32楼

欢迎来参加我们的活动

Entry fee:

50RMB pre-registered guests

70RMB at-the-door price

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