Must See Documentary: The Social Dilemma

[Koz]

I think that most of us who are older have a completely different view of social media than younger generations, but that doesn't mean that we are always immune to its impact. The Social Dilemma is a documentary on Netflix featuring interview with people who formerly worked for companies like Google, Facebook, and Twitter and it exposes how nefarious these companies are.

 

Yes, social media is evil but it's even well beyond that. The great divide we see in our country and in countries throughout the world is being engineered by algorithms and AI. When people think of social media, many think how it uses data for advertising and driving revenue, but it's so much more than that. We're heading down the path to another Civil War, but it won't be with weapons on a battlefield.

 

We see that now with people saying things like, "How can you take that side of the argument?" or "How can you believe that?" But social media and search creates echo chambers that lead people further down the rabbit hole. It's propaganda and brainwashing. It's to the point where if one side says 2+2 = 4 the other side believes there is evidence that 2+2=5 and nothing can convince them otherwise.

 

I watched this documentary the other night and it got me thinking - social media is the Schrodinger's Cat of news and journalism.

[Tennessee Boy]

Agreed.  One side thinks that fluorocarbon is the answer to all our prayers.  The other side thinks that only monofilament will do.  

[Koz]

23 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

Agreed.  One side thinks that fluorocarbon is the answer to all our prayers.  The other side thinks that only monofilament will do.  

And then there are folks like me that swear that braid is the only way to go.

[Eric 26]

I agree with everything you’re saying. But what I find scarier is the mainstream media seems to have hopped on board, and before anyone thinks I’m being political you can find it on both sides as far as the media goes in my opinion. Getting harder and harder to filter out the B.S these days to formulate your own opinion on anything.

[Koz]

2 hours ago, Eric 26 said:

I agree with everything you’re saying. But what I find scarier is the mainstream media seems to have hopped on board, and before anyone thinks I’m being political you can find it on both sides as far as the media goes in my opinion. Getting harder and harder to filter out the B.S these days to formulate your own opinion on anything.

That's because there is very little reals news anymore. Left or right, the focus is on turning a profit.

 

For example, look at how most digital media operates today. First, the clickbait headline. Then, if you read carefully, you will notice that the language used in the first 2-3 paragraphs is actually opinion and innuendo designed to stimulate the cognitive bias of the reader. Once sufficiently stimulated, the reader loses focus or abandons the article. These websites know that. But in the last paragraph or two is where you are most likely to find actual facts, and more often than not they don't match the narrative set earlier in the article. Seriously - look for this when you read news. It will blow your mind.

 

And if you look at those TV news channels, most of the programming is opinionated pundits in the guide of news. Both TV and digital are designed to appeal to specific demographics to drive ad revenues. 

 

But this is completely different that what social media AI and algorithms are doing. I won't spoil it here - watch that documentary. I found it fascinating.

[12poundbass]

Life is better when you stick your head in the sand like I do. 

[A-Jay]

@Koz

I have not watched The Social Dilemma documentary on Netflix.

Probably never will.

What I find interesting is how presenters place the word 'documentary' into the title

of something and that somehow and magically makes it 'different' from the rest of the drivel.

So often it's not. 

I can't say when it happened, 

but soon after the media (and I mean ALL OF IT) became "The Media",

seems the definition and the objective changed.

Not sure about either at this point.

The last 60 plus years has been some interesting & challenging times.

People believe they 'know more'.

I say what difference does it make ?

A-Jay

 

 

 

 

 

[Catt]

Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools

[Tennessee Boy]

Something has changed in the last ten years and I think the Internet is why.   There have always been differences in opinion.   Some have always looked at the glass and said it was half empty.  Others looked at the glass and said it was half full.  Today there are people who look at the glass and say it was put there by aliens to control the minds of those that drink from it.

[galyonj]

Everybody has an angle. Follow the money.

[Kev-mo]

If your really interested in a documentary check out Idiocracy. It's a little dated but still relevant. 

[Chris Catignani]

I think a lot of it has to do with individuals getting behind a keyboard and router and having a profound thought.

Thirty tree percent agree with it.
Thirty three percent don't understand it.

Thirty three percent will argue it.

1 percent missed the conversation while fishin'.

[Mobasser]

I like good documentaries, but I'll pass on this one. Social media can be a good thing. BR is an example. 

[Captain Phil]

13 hours ago, Koz said:

That's because there is very little reals news anymore. Left or right, the focus is on turning a profit.

 

For example, look at how most digital media operates today. First, the clickbait headline. Then, if you read carefully, you will notice that the language used in the first 2-3 paragraphs is actually opinion and innuendo designed to stimulate the cognitive bias of the reader. Once sufficiently stimulated, the reader loses focus or abandons the article. These websites know that. But in the last paragraph or two is where you are most likely to find actual facts, and more often than not they don't match the narrative set earlier in the article. Seriously - look for this when you read news. It will blow your mind.

 

And if you look at those TV news channels, most of the programming is opinionated pundits in the guide of news. Both TV and digital are designed to appeal to specific demographics to drive ad revenues. 

 

But this is completely different that what social media AI and algorithms are doing. I won't spoil it here - watch that documentary. I found it fascinating.

 

This post is spot on.  Today's media is all about attracting as many eye balls as possible.  Eye balls on the page are money, pure and simple.  News is not news anymore, it's reported to grab your attention then spun to keep the faithful engaged.  A good example is the recent story of the attack on Mr. Pelosi.  Watch the story on CNN then watch it on FOX.  One side says the attacker was a right wing MAGA extremist.  The other side says he was a nudist illegal immigrant hippie who should have been deported but he wasn't because San Francisco is a sanctuary city.  Same story, different reporting.   The good news is most American citizens are not far right or far left.   The problem is they don't have a TV channel.

[TnRiver46]

23 minutes ago, Kev-mo said:

If your really interested in a documentary check out Idiocracy. It's a little dated but still relevant. 

It has electrolytes 

[galyonj]

6 minutes ago, TnRiver46 said:

It has electrolytes 

 

[Koz]

7 hours ago, Kev-mo said:

If your really interested in a documentary check out Idiocracy. It's a little dated but still relevant. 

What started off as a really, really bad comedy now seems to be foreshadowing our future.

7 hours ago, Mobasser said:

I like good documentaries, but I'll pass on this one. Social media can be a good thing. BR is an example. 

BR is different. It's an online community for those that share a common interest. Glenn is not manipulating what we see and read, and he is not collection additional data from outside sources to manipulate us. It's like comparing a Ferrari and a Yugo. There are broad similarities at best.

 

And as far as I know, Glenn is not out to dominate or manipulate the world for his own gain and evil bidding.

[T-Billy]

Nothing new about it. Been going on since the creation of man. Times change, methods of communication change, people don't. @Catt nailed it.

[VolFan]

News is still news. Media is not news; media is a business and a very profitable one at that.  The different reporting referenced above is media. The fact that a person attacked Pelosi’s husband with a hammer is news, and despicable at that. Different medias from dark corners to large corporate outlets produce narratives on news to fit their demographic and bring viewers which then bring money. The more polarized it is, the closer you are to 50% of the money. Rinse and repeat.

[Glenn]

Let's be clear, both CNN and Fox News are pulpits for opposing political parties. They use current events as catalysts to spread their propaganda.  Neither are "news" organizations in any way whatsoever.

 

So let's leave them out of the conversation as political discussions are not allowed here.

 

Thanks!

[MN Fisher]

17 minutes ago, Glenn said:

Let's be clear, both CNN and Fox News are pulpits for opposing political parties.

Which is why NPR is my source....

[TOXIC]

Trust no one.  

[Deleted account]

25 minutes ago, MN Fisher said:

Which is why NPR is my source....

I got into listening to Click and Clack and wait, wait, don't tell me on the late night drive down to Norfolk each week.

[slonezp]

Report the truth and let the audience decide. 

Unfortunately we give more weight to opinion than we do truth. 

 

My niece is a journalist in Chicago. I won't say what her political leanings are but they are opposite of mine. Her opinions and her lifestyle bear no weight on how much I love her.

 

That being said. Her regular gig is opinion pieces. Opinions are not news, they are, at best, entertainment. At worst, believed to be truth. She freelances and her freelance work is factual, as far as how current the facts are. As a journalist, she needs her opinion pieces to be viewed as fact. It's what pays the bills. 

[Koz]

1 hour ago, slonezp said:

As a journalist, she needs her opinion pieces to be viewed as fact. It's what pays the bills. 

 And that's the sad state of where we are today.

 

Fun diversion fact: Years ago one of the other senior managers at a hotel I worked for went on sabbatical for a a year just when I needed a new place to live, so I watched his house for a year. Well, he and his father were friends with a very famous news anchor.

 

One day I picked up the phone and heard, "This is Walter Cronkite."

 

He delivered it in the same tone and cadence that he did on the news. It was classic.

 

Now back to the topic of how data that social media and how it manipulates your life if you aren't aware of it...