Director: Jeff Orlowski
Verdict: An ominous, dystopic docudrama film that that is sufficiently detailed about the ills of social media, but oversimplistic about problems of the world today.
What’s the dilemma?
This part-documentary, part-drama digs into the world of algorithms — the ones quietly deciding what you see online, how long you stay there, and who benefits from your scrolling. Ex-employees from big tech companies (Facebook, Google, Twitter) speak candidly about how platforms are designed to hook users — not by accident, but by intent. Attention is currency, and our behaviour is the product being sold.
The drama subplot follows a typical American family struggling with screen addiction. A teenager spirals into anxiety and low self-worth, all while her phone pings away with likes and curated content. It’s dramatized, yes — but eerily relatable. The most haunting part? The algorithm is personified as a trio of engineers manipulating her feed in real time. It’s creepy, and it works.
Where it fails is in placing all the world’s ills — fake news, polarization, civil unrest — squarely on tech’s shoulders. Social media may be a tool, but it’s not the only villain in the room. The film flirts with oversimplification, sometimes swapping nuance for drama.
What it nails is the urgency of the conversation. Regulation, digital literacy, mental health awareness — these aren’t optional anymore. As the film puts it, even the people who built the machine now feel powerless against it. And that should worry us all.
In the end, The Social Dilemma is part warning, part confession. It reminds us that behind every scroll, like, and ping, someone is watching — and it’s not always you.
I had heard about this documentary a lot and after reading your review i am surely going to watch it. Superb writing as usual Chhavi!
Keep writing and helping us out!
Thank you so much!
Excellent review, Suman! Please congratulate your daughter. She is so very right! Technology is governed by human behaviour too. Of course, George Orwell’s Big Brother has arrived and technology is aiding that. The perils of fb were known but everyone is on it despite that. All photos, destinations in real-time, interest groups, moody jottings what have you. I guess it’s a double-edged sword!!
message by my dear friend Aditi Kapur.
thanks a lot dear