David Farnor | On 18, Aug 2021

Netflix has released The Social Dilemma online for free.

The documentary from filmmakers Jeff Orlowski (Chasing Ice, Chasing Coral) and Larissa Rhodes (Chasing Coral) asks what the consequences of our growing dependence on social media are. The world has long recognised the positive applications of social media, from its role in empowering protesters to speak out against oppression to serving an instrumental role in fighting for equity and justice. During the coronavirus pandemic, social media has always helped people to stay in touch with loved ones.

Through a combination of documentary investigation and narrative drama, the film tackles the connection between the web and viral conspiracy theories, teenage mental health issues, rampant misinformation and political polarisation. The film features interviews with high-profile tech figures, including the co-inventor of the Facebook “Like” button, the former President of Pinterest and the former Director of Monetisation at Facebook.

“This eye-opening documentary about the way social media companies use users’ data is a scary watch<" we wrote in our review.

The film premiered at Sundance last year before going on to be released on Netflix in September. Now, it’s been published online in full by Netflix for anyone to stream for free – but you’ll have to hurry to catch it, as it’s only available until 30th September.

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