15 Best Documentaries Of 2020
13. The Social Dilemma
That too much social media is bad for our health, and that the insights these companies have into our lives is troubling, is hardly breaking news. The Social Dilemma, a much-discussed Netflix documentary, doesn’t exactly cover untrampled ground, but in its bevy of first hand sources and unflinching look at the very darkest sides of the industry, it serves its purpose as a sharp shock.
As far as director Jeff Orlowski is concerned, there’s no dilemma - we’re using social media too much, and it’s doing us harm. The film covers the modern phenomenon of social media addiction and the harm it does to our mental health. It then turns an eye to the wider problem of surveillance culture, and the insidious manner in which the websites and apps we plug ourselves into feed us fake news that so many of us swallow (especially relevant this year).
The sources are the real deal, former execs from all the major social media platforms who have stepped down from their positions with wide eyes and stories to tell. The Social Dilemma is in no way balanced and can be said to simplify the matter, but all the same, you’ll look at your phone a little differently having watched it.