Why I partially disagree with 'The Social Dilemma' docudrama

"Social media is a drug." - "If you are not paying for the product, you are the product." - These are some of the hard-hitting quotes that come up in Netflix's recent docudrama - 'The Social Dilemma'. I watched it and partially disagree with its blanket approach to the use/ misuse of social media.

First, what I agree with. The docudrama brings to life the severity of social media addiction, especially on pre-teens and teens, with respect to body image issues, mental health issues and social isolation. Yes, 11 -12-year-olds being given a smartphone with an internet connection is not a viable option.

The second thing I agree with is the compromise of privacy and collection of personal data that these sites use to build predictive models and ad targeting. The other fallout of this has been seen in the alleged political campaign manipulation by the likes of 'Cambridge Analytica'. Watch 'The Great Hack' on Netflix to know more about this. Fake news actually spreads faster on Whatsapp, even though all communication is encrypted.

What I disagree with:

• The blanket statement that social media is just addictive and cannot help us in any way. It depends on us - our usage of the apps and the sites. There are as many blockers as there are apps that can help us block these sites or even limit our repetitive checking of email. We choose not to learn about privacy settings and permissions on our phones. Also, no one can force us ( adults ) to share more than we want to. We choose to share our lunch pictures and our outfit of the day to gain that attention. The choice is still in our hands.
• The lack of case studies on how social media has helped people connect and start businesses/ amplify small and medium businesses/ home entrepreneurship. How people can connect globally if needed and share ideas/ resources/ projects and collaborate.
• It doesn't address the work culture where people get flak for not being online or checking WhatsApp or their mail constantly. We get addicted because of daily routines and expectations of new age, remote communication- not necessarily because Facebook or Instagram wants us to.
• People are more addicted to some TV soaps and several gaming apps as well - content and product design is driven to engagement - it can be the same for online shopping apps as well. The addictive behaviour is driven by our lack of discipline and time management as well.

How can we use social media responsibly?

This is something not addressed in the 'Doomsday' version of this docudrama. However, it does show us the real threats of being influenced and manipulated by the addictive nature of social media apps.

1. Read 'Digital Minimalism' by Cal Newport/ watch his TED talk. It will help with strategies on limiting our time on social media and focus our attention on other significant matters.

2. Make time for offline activities, especially on weekends. Build real relationships which can keep you emotionally stable and control addictive scrolling.

3. If you use social media for your business/ personal brand/ professional brand, consider having a content plan and automate posts with content distribution systems. Use analytics to understand the impact and measure output vis a vis the time you are putting in.

4. Read my article on 'Make Time' - the book review. It shows how we can set boundaries for our usage of email and social media for work and networking.

Social media is a tool - we need to understand how to use it in our favour. Till next time!