‘Social Media Has Divided People in India,’ Say Media Experts

Tech experts in India feel that turning off notifications will not solve the problem of social media addiction.

We spoke to Indian tech experts and media stalwarts on what they thought about the Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma. 

(Photo:The Quint)

Creative Producer: Kunal Mehra

After the release of Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, it seems millions of internet users across the globe have been dealt with shocking information on how social media is turning them into smartphone zombies and how social network giants are manipulating them.

The documentary brings forth revelations by some ex-employees at Google, Facebook and Twitter on how these companies have a business model that revolves around grabbing the user’s attention and keeping them hooked for hours.

The Quint got the opportunity to speak with a few media experts including a tech expert on the long-term ramifications of such an ecosystem on the lives of their users.

We speak about what role the users themselves can play in making sure they are not being influenced by the algorithms these companies deploy to keep us hooked.

We also touch upon the roles and responsibilities of companies and the government in keeping checks and balances to ensure that social networks do not become an addiction.

The experts we spoke with also gave their inputs on what they thought about the documentary and why it’s a must-watch for anyone who is on social media platforms today.

Facebook recently released a rebuttal opposing some of the claims made in the Netflix documentary saying that the entire narrative is about portraying social media as the bad guy. The statement also said that the show ignored some of the good work that Facebook had done to fight fake news and election interference.

Despite the drama, many people have come online in support of regulations against social media companies and demanded that they change their business models to make sure that the users are not being exploited as “products” for the advertisers and various stakeholders.