'The Social Dilemma': Tech Professionals Opinions On social Media Platforms

Netflix’s new documentary, ‘The Social Dilemma‘, provides an overview of the various ways in which social media platforms have become increasingly divisive and potentially dangerous. 

On Blind, an anonymous professional network, with 3.6M verified users, we asked tech professionals the following questions:

  1. Have you watched the “Social Dilemma” documentary ?
  2. Did the documentary alter how you view social media platforms?
  3. Do you think social media platforms have created more positive or negative circumstances for the world?

Key Learnings (2,489 responses from 10/06-10/12): 

    • 64% of tech professionals have watched the “Social Dilemma” documentary 
    • 56% of which claim that the documentary altered how they view social media platforms
        • 92% of Capital One professionals claim that the documentary altered how they view social media platforms
        • Contrasted by only 24% of Facebook professionals 
    • 69%  of tech professionals that have watched the “Social Dilemma”  believe that  social media platforms have created more negative circumstances for the world
        • Compared to 53% of professionals who have not 
        • Only 31% of Facebook professionals believe that  social media platforms have created more negative circumstances for the world
        • Contrasted by 94% of VMware professionals

You can see the report highlighting the overall responses here.

A user at Facebook shared “This documentary on Netflix changed a lot of perspectives for me. Now, I view the things differently. They talk about how Facebook, Google, Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit and other social networking sites are affecting human behavior. Almost all the things they talk about are true. Honestly, Facebook and Google were designed to make the world a better place but unfortunately, we are in those times where we need to control the way it works. Do you think we need to regulate companies who store user data? Why/why not??” 

Another user at Yelp asked the platform “What do folks in Google and Facebook (and others too) think about the recent Netflix documentary called The Social Dilemma? Personally, I think it’s very accurate in that these platforms are doing more harm than good and it’s a problem stemmed by many factors, one of the biggest being the need for publicly traded corporations to always grow. What does it mean for people working in this industry knowing that you are working on something that potentially has such far-reaching consequences on the societies we live in?”

A user at Bloomberg shared, “I am slightly saddened and terrified by this documentary. Anyone have thoughts, solutions, or ideas? As naive as a question, how can we let this happen. I guess reforms are really needed….”

Needless to say,  the documentary has sparked conversations about social media’s impact on our lives and mental health.

Facebook responded by sharing a post titled “What ‘The Social Dilemma’ Gets Wrong,” in which it says the documentary “buries the substance in sensationalism.”

Facebook complains that the film’s creators don’t include insights from current employees at the companies mentioned, or from people who have alternate viewpoints. 

What do you think? Do you think social media platforms have created more positive or negative circumstances for the world? Join the conversation!