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The Social Dilemma

The document provides information about a documentary called "The Social Dilemma". It discusses how social media platforms collect extensive data about users' online behaviors and use this to influence how people think and act. Experts in the documentary explain that the business model of many platforms relies on keeping users engaged by appealing to human psychology. While social media can connect people, the document warns it also poses risks by manipulating users for profit and spreading misinformation. It provides recommendations for regulating platforms and developing healthier habits regarding social media use.

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María José Fernández
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38 views2 pages

The Social Dilemma

The document provides information about a documentary called "The Social Dilemma". It discusses how social media platforms collect extensive data about users' online behaviors and use this to influence how people think and act. Experts in the documentary explain that the business model of many platforms relies on keeping users engaged by appealing to human psychology. While social media can connect people, the document warns it also poses risks by manipulating users for profit and spreading misinformation. It provides recommendations for regulating platforms and developing healthier habits regarding social media use.

Uploaded by

María José Fernández
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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THE SOCIAL DILEMMA

Brainstorming

“If something is free, you are the product” Richard Serra.


“Nothing vast enters the world of mortals without a curse” Sophocles.

Write the quotes on the blackboard and ask the students to discuss about them. Tell
them they are shown in the documentary and ask them about the possible connection
with social media.

Tell the students that the documentary deals with the health and societal problems
caused by social media use. Ask them to make a list (in pairs) about the dangers of
social media.

Listening activity

Watch the following video and answer the questions. (12:15-17:16)


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7mqR_e2seeM

1. What does Jaron Lanier wonders about at the beginning of the video?
Jaron Lanier wonders about what the big companies like Google and Facebook are
being paid for.
2. According to Roger McNamee, what is the main difference related to business in
Silicon Valley?
In the first fifty years, the companies sold software and hardware. However, in the last
ten years, the companies sell their users.
3. Who pays for the products that we use? What does this imply?
Advertisers pay for the products and that means that they are the customers and
people are the product.
4. What is the business model of companies like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter or
Instagram?
To keep people engaged on the screen, to attract people’s attention as much as they
can.
5. According to Jaron Lanier, what is the only possible way for these companies to
make money?
Changing what people do, how they think and who they are.
6. According to Shoshana Zubafi, how have the Internet companies become the
richest companies?
Because it is a marketplace that trades with human futures.
7. According to the documentary, what kind of information do these companies have
about us?
What image you stop and look at, for how long you look at it, when people are lonely,
when people are depressed, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert, what your
personality type is like, etc.
Speaking activity

Option A
Watch the documentary trailer and answer the questions in pairs.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uaaC57tcci0

 Did you know that the results in Google are not the same for everyone?
 What do you think about the information provided in the documentary?
 Do you think that we are being watched?
 Is there anything we can do to change this?
 What are fake news and how are they spread?
 Do you think that the documentary is too alarmist?
 Do you make an effort to limit your screen time? Why or why not?

Option B
The Social Dilemma Recommendations

In pairs, discuss these recommendations presented by tech experts at the end of the
documentary. Which could you adopt?

 Recognizing the current problems and discussing them openly.


 Uninstalling apps that waste time.
 Turning off notifications.
 Using a search engine that doesn’t store search history instead of Google.
 Putting more regulations on tech companies and taxing data assets to
discourage companies from mining personal data.
 Fact-checking the sources of an article before you share it.
 Making an effort to read news from different points of view.
 Not allowing children to use social media until 16 years of age.
 Working out a time-budget with children about how many hours they can
spend online.

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