Provides addiction treatment tips

The "social dilemma" highlights the devastating effects of communication platforms

picture

It is really ironic that the Netflix platform shows original production on the subject of "social media" addiction, and how to get rid of it, and the platform itself employs the same method in its programming, or what is called algorithm to create a state of addiction among its subscribers.

This is a topic that gradually began in the early part of this decade, we are not talking about the beginning of the emergence of communication platforms, but about the beginning of the state of addiction to them and accompanying their development, and this was in 2012 or 2013, when the revolution of smart phone applications spread.

Every person can access these platforms from his phone, which is connected to the Internet around the clock, and does not need a personal computer.

The Social Dilemma movie talks about addiction to "social media" more clearly than ever before, and for the first time the film makers cite inventors and former founders of these platforms talking about the secrets of these platforms, and how they created a system of artificial intelligence to create A state of addiction to users, and thus generating fantastic profits for the founders of these networks and their investors.

What the movie tells us is that our minds are being manipulated, and reprogrammed with a complex electronic algorithm that aims to capture the attention of the user and make him believe incorrect ideas, whether about himself, about others, or about the world.

The film's director and co-written by Jeff Orlowski, who made scary documentaries before about what we do ourselves without knowing, such as: Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice, the first about the dangers surrounding the marine environment, and the second about the magnitude of the melting ice in the world.

This time, it is about the horror that we cause ourselves because of the "social media".

The film hosts former senior employees of Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, and other platforms that seduce humans and ask them for their information to sell it.

At the beginning of the movie, we see those embarrassed, not knowing how to start their speech, and then it becomes clear that they are using the film to confess sins and apologize.

For example, the movie hosts Justin Rosenstein, the inventor of the Facebook Like button, who says that the primary goal when inventing the button was to spread positivity.

what's wrong with that?

But it turns out that the button caused depression in those who didn't get as much likes as their friends.

Then they change their behavior to bring more clicks of like, and this includes slapstick, silly, or even reckless actions or heavy pranks.

We are talking here about a segment of adolescents in particular. The teenager is no longer convinced of what his parents tell him, and turns to the "social media" to obtain acceptance from the community or from school colleagues. If someone criticizes him on a platform, he will change his behavior or even his appearance to get a "like." ».

If we count the number of teenagers in the whole world, not just the United States, we would have a terrifying number, and a messy internet world.

This is why the rates of anxiety and depression have increased in the United States this decade, more than at any time in history.

Suicide rates also increased for girls born in the late 1990s.

Then a new problem appeared, caused by the "Snapchat" platform, according to the movie, which is the tendency of large numbers of teenagers to undergo cosmetic procedures that make them look like their pictures that are produced by Snapchat filters.

The film contains a silly acting chapter, where we see a family whose teenage son becomes addicted to communication platforms and promises his mother not to touch his phone for a week, but the malice of the other party, i.e. the virtual workers on those platforms, returns him to his addiction.

The scene of the virtual workers, or perhaps they represent the complex algorithm we mentioned earlier, looks like it is from a prosaic science fiction movie.

There are other films that excelled in portraying this aspect of the equation, most notably Disconnect in 2012. The film offers good suggestions, such as issuing legislation that imposes taxes on technology companies that rise as the volume of data they request from users increases, and do not get it for free, as is happening today in a world of outdated laws. Compared to the rapid technical progress.

The film also provides excellent advice to families at its end, with the names of the filmmakers appearing on screen on how to treat their addictions or their children's addictions.

The film also accuses those platforms of spreading rumors, lies and conspiracy theories among users, until a large segment was formed that no longer distinguishes whether the disease "Covid-19" is artificial or real.

American society is no longer able to answer this question: Did the American people elect President Donald Trump, or was it the result of Russian interference in the elections?

Did an elite of American politicians create and launch the Corona virus?

Or was it out of China?

The film advises viewers to check sources, read news from approved websites, and stop promoting videos to unknown people, spreading misleading information and lies that destroyed users' minds, until no one knows who believes.

Returning to the first paragraph, and looking at the Netflix model, the application of this platform does not stop sending notifications about movies or series, and the subscriber is advised to watch them based on his taste, especially since Netflix uses the same method to read and guess the behavior and taste of its subscribers, as other communication platforms do.

After you finish watching a movie or episode of a series, Netflix does not stop but rather takes you to another movie based on your taste or the next episode directly.

So it is never innocent when it comes to user addiction.

The existence of Netflix and communication platforms, despite their different purposes, is evidence of amazing scientific progress that is more like magic.

Just as the invention of the plane was like magic 100 years ago, today we are experiencing that same moment, but with a different invention.

We may feel very difficult to live without "social media" in this digital age .. But the question is: How did we live without it before 2010?

To view this topic in full, please click on this link.

The existence of Netflix and communication platforms, despite their different purposes, is evidence of amazing scientific progress that is more like magic.

It is extremely difficult to live without "social media" in this digital age, but the question is: How did we live without it before 2010?

Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news