The documentary was paused, the teacher verbalized to the class to have a good day, and the class got out their phones. I found myself reaching into my backpack pocket to grab mine and then it hit me, and I questioned myself “am I really addicted to my phone?” 

The documentary being watched was The Social Dilemma, which features commentary from former employees of large social media corporations such as Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and more. They discuss the growing problems being presented in social media and the lasting effects it could bring.

As I watched this for the second time, as it had been shown before in Health my freshman year, I reminisced on the past year. I realized that though the documentary had an effect on me, in the year my screen time remained the same, if not higher, and I was and still am an avid consumer of the media being shown to me. 

The documentary was able to again open my eyes into seeing that I am not truly addicted to a piece of technology, but to the media that is portrayed. Furthermore, I find myself falling through the purposeful “rabbit hole” being shown to not only me, but so many others in order to gain profit from our obsession with apps such as Tiktok, Snapchat, Instagram and more. 

While there are many that have already watched this documentary, I think it is worth watching it again and possibly taking some ideas away from it. I myself have set screen time on social media platforms and have thought about even deleting some forms of social media. The documentary was able to give me a different perspective on the use of social media and the negative aspects of it, which I believe could be valuable insight to everyone.

While there is so much more to it than just the gaining of large corporations and how susceptible society is to media tricks and the ongoing effects it has on everyone, neither I, nor anyone will ever fully be able to unpack it. If you are interested in these ideas and or want to learn more, I would suggest taking Media Analysis as an English credit with Mr. Hemesath.