Facebook has some issues and grievances with Netflix’s newly released documentary, “The Social Dilemma.” The documentary in question stresses and gives a warning to social media’s adverse effects and the industry’s business practices and tactics.
The social media giant published and released a seven-point rebuttal last Friday to “The Social Dilemma,” which debuted last September 9, and its director Jeff Orlowski.
“We should have conversations about the impact of social media in our lives. But ‘The Social Dilemma’ buries the substance in sensationalism… Rather than offer a nuanced look at technology. It gives a distorted view of how social media platforms work to create a convenient scapegoat for what are difficult and complex societal problems.”
Facebook
Meanwhile, Netflix representatives did not immediately give any comment on the matter. The film features and shows former executives’ interviews with Facebook, Google, Twitter, and other social media and online companies.
The 93-minute documentary explores and analyzes issues and concerns that include the spread of misinformation, conspiracy theories, fake news, tech addiction, election manipulation, and data gathering and algorithms social media and tech companies use and insert content through target ads.
At some points, the documentary showed a family played by professional actors to demonstrate and illustrate the harmful and damaging effects of social media addiction.
“This potent documentary by Jeff Orlowski lends a podium to various experts who are certain the pervasive influence under-regulated social media is destroying civilization from within.”
Dennis Harvey, a critic from Variety
The social media giant complained and protested the creators of the film stating, “do not include insights from those currently working at the companies or any experts who take a different view to the narrative put forward by the film.”
“‘The Social Dilemma’ does not acknowledge the efforts already taken by companies to address many of the issues they raise. Instead, they rely on commentary from those who haven’t been on the inside for many years.”
Facebook
Some of the issues the documentary raised that Facebook challenged were, News Feed product teams do not receive incentives to build features that increase the time spent on the product ads, Facebook allowing fake news to fester wrong.
The social media company clarified that it has policies that forbid businesses from sending sensitive data on people such as their health information or Social Security numbers.
“The Social Dilemma” is currently still streaming on Netflix.
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