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Reflection
I thoroughly enjoyed this documentary. I’m usually terrible at watching movies all the way through without getting distracted (ironic, I know), but this topic absolutely fascinated me. Growing up with social media and technology, I’ve always known there’s manipulation and deceit involved—but I never realized just how serious it is. Today, we’ve become so desensitized to industries knowing everything about us that we barely think twice about it. It’s honestly wild how submissive we’ve become to these systems. Of course, as the documentary explored, there are major issues within the tech industry that fuel this addiction. But I couldn’t help wondering—why is society so quick to give in? Yes, these companies are motivated by profit and design their platforms to keep us engaged, but we’re also willingly participating. Whether we realize it or not, there’s this strange obedience at play. What does that say about our society? Maybe it points to something deeper about our happiness or values. If we were truly fulfilled, would these quick dopamine hits have such power over us? Would these industries even be as successful?
Class Connection
As a psychology major, I had so many “lightbulb” moments during this film. I loved seeing how psychology is applied in ways people don’t always recognize—it’s so much more than just therapy! One concept that stood out was the psychology of persuasion. The documentary literally mentioned people who study how to modify behavior through positive intermittent reinforcement—the same principle used to train habits through rewards. It’s fascinating (and a little unsettling) to realize that design choices are carefully engineered to manipulate our psyche. A/B testing, for instance, is essentially a psychological experiment we participate in every time we use an app. Subliminal cues target our unconscious mind, shaping our actions without us even realizing it. It’s both interesting and disturbing to see how psychological principles can be used against us in such a harmful way. I’m currently taking a class on Children and the Media, and it connects so well here. We’ve discussed how exposure to media affects children’s mental health—contributing to issues like anxiety, depression, body image concerns, and even suicide rates. One key takeaway from that class is that data literacy can actually help reduce these negative effects. Understanding how and why data is used gives people more power over how they engage with media.
Prize
Nothing here! But didn’t clicking that feel good? That was by design 😉
Benefits
It’s also important to acknowledge that technology and social media have benefits, too. For example, prosocial media content can teach children empathy and important life lessons through observational learning and modeling. When used intentionally and monitored properly, technology can absolutely have educational and developmental value.