The Social Dilemma

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 The technology that connects us also divides us!

We’re bombarded by negativity every day. It's on the television, social media, and sometimes the gossip on the street. It is also proved that Algorithms in social media promote content that sparks outrage, hate, and amplifies biases within the data that we feed them. Major tech companies have been using targeted advertising since the early 2000s, but things have changed a lot with the advent of the smartphone. Now, instead of a shared family computer, the surveillance capabilities are tied directly to the individual user, allowing for much more data to be collected. Platforms are not just collecting basic demographic information that we willingly provide upon signup; they are tracking every click, every like, every photo, whether we end our post with an exclamation or question mark, and then combining this knowledge with powerful AI. The bigger problem is how the data feeding the underlying algorithms are being used to model and predict all of the human behavior – giving the highest bidder the ability to influence us at scale like we’ve never seen before from determining elections to sparking revolutions.



It’s hard to think positively when there is negativity all around!

Negativity is attacking us from all sides and it’s hard to escape. As soon as you wake up in the morning and turn on your TV you can guarantee there will be news stories that are crammed full of negative vibes. Hell, you can't even call it news anymore!

None of it is healthy for the soul. The only way to stop yourself from feeding on toxic negativity is to reduce the amount of time you are exposed to these negative vibes.


Reduce social media consumption

We first started using social applications like Facebook, Instagram because it was a great way to stay connected with friends or family. Distance did not matter anymore because you could talk to them through this platform. But now Facebook and other social media sites have become something more. A place to spend most of your time, a second home if you will. No longer is it somewhere to stay in contact with long-lost friends.

One great way of reducing the amount of time you spend on social media is to treat it like it was originally intended, a place to connect and keep in contact with people. Instead of opening the apps out of addiction, try only using them when you need to speak to family or friends. Stop scrolling down the news feed there is nothing for you there!


Reduce the Time Exposed to News Television

Seriously, is there anything real on the news now? I personally find this the easiest step to take to reduce negativity. Stop Listening to Gossips in the News!


Reduce Negativity and Lead a Positive Life!


As I’ve covered above, negativity is all around us and is difficult to fight off. But if you can make a few small changes to block it out then you can make progress in changing your mindset to a positive one. It's not easy, especially if the main culprits for negativity in your life are your family.

“The Biggest Asset in the world is your Mindset”


Change the Way You Think of Yourself

Change is hard, if it was easy then everyone would be walking around with a positive attitude and a great life. If you try to cut back on things like social media, news programs, and gossip with friends then it can only help your frame of mind. By doing so you can start to live a more positive life and improve yourself from the inside out. Surround Yourself with Positivity for an Improved Life! When you feel miserable, you hear people say “keep your chin up!” and “don’t let life get you down”. The people you surround yourself with will have a big influence on your life.


If there is bad news that ruins your day you need to look on the bright side. With every bad thing that happens to us, there is always a positive side. So that is what you need to focus on.

Analyze the bad days and find the positives. Every time you think of a negative thought, think of something you are grateful for. That will make a huge difference to your mood and lift your day.

People Don’t Love Themselves. How many times have you looked in the mirror and walked off in disgust? We are programmed from birth to look to others for inspiration which can sometimes lead us to believe we are not worthy of our own adoration. Every day look in the mirror and compliment yourself on the way you look and say positive affirmations to yourself. You will feel better about yourself and that can only lead to positivity in the things you do.


Should you delete the social media accounts?

“If you are privileged enough to be able to get away with not being on social media, you have a positive responsibility to get out of it, because you being there is only perpetuating a system that’s abusing other people. So if you’re privileged enough to get by, do it. Get out of the system.”

It’s also important to note that deleting your own accounts won’t solve the systemic problem (though it will likely improve your life!). While individuals reducing or eliminating their usage and support of companies is the first step, we need systemic changes to how technology is designed and regulated to fully address and reverse our shared dilemma.



Inspired by the Netflix documentary #TheSocialDilemma

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