The Social Dilemma

"The technology that connects us also controls us."

2020 1h 34m EN

🙌

7.5

BANGER

★7.5TMDB · 1,863

DocumentaryDrama

Synopsis

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This documentary-drama hybrid explores the dangerous human impact of social networking, with tech experts sounding the alarm on their own creations.

“The technology that connects us also controls us.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Tristan Harris
Self
Jeff Seibert
Self
Bailey Richardson
Self
Joe Toscano
Self
Sandy Parakilas
Self
Guillaume Chaslot
Self
Lynn Fox
Self
Aza Raskin
Self

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Jeff Orlowski
Writers: Davis Coombe, Vickie Curtis, Jeff Orlowski
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Jeff Orlowski, shot by John Behrens. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Mark A. Crawford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Davis Coombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

CAST

Did you know

Tristan Harris and Jeff Seibert and Bailey Richardson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "The technology that connects us also controls us.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt11464826 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Jeff Orlowski directs. John Behrens behind the camera. Mark A. Crawford scores. Davis Coombe cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2Directed by Jeff Orlowski, shot by John Behrens. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
3Original score by Mark A. Crawford. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
4Editor Davis Coombe shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
5Tristan Harris and Jeff Seibert and Bailey Richardson carry the top of the cast.
6Marketing tagline: "The technology that connects us also controls us.".
7IMDB entry: tt11464826 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 25 themes, including "artificial intelligence (a.i.)", "technology", "silicon valley", "high tech surveillance".

The technical file

Cinematography: John Behrens
Original score: Mark A. Crawford
Editing: Davis Coombe
Production design: Adam Wheatley
Stunt coordinator: Chase Penny
Runtime: 94 min · 1h 34m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: The Social Dilemma (2020)

Also by

Jeff Orlowski

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Community reviews

What people are saying

corrcorr2021-01-07
★ 5/10
This documentary thinks it's real cute. You may learn a thing or two, but a lot of the time it feels manipulative and self-righteous. I wish that, instead of portraying the mechanisms of ad-targeting as some kind of sci-fi super villain, they would have shown what truly goes on in the offices of google, facebook, and the like. The evils of manipulating human attention do not need to be sensationalized to look like something out of Tron or Blade Runner. Why not film the actual computer screens that are spitting back data about users of these platforms? Perhaps internet giants would not let cameras behind the scenes. Anyhow, this film has a noble goal but comes across as more dime-a-dozen infotainment that Netflix has pumped out many times before. Maybe if it did not treat its viewers as though they were brain dead I would have enjoyed it more. Show it to your tik tok friends who could lose a staring contest with a squirrel, as that is likely who this documentary is targeted for.
Alunauwie2025-09-29
★ 10/10
The Social Dilemma is a powerful documentary that explores how social media algorithms subtly manipulate user behavior, creating addiction and influencing mental health. Through expert interviews, dramatized simulations, and engaging visuals, it reveals the ethical dilemmas behind profit-driven platforms that often overlook their societal impact. With a balanced and accessible approach, the film encourages viewers to critically reassess their digital habits and understand the hidden forces shaping their online experiences. Read the full review here: (Indonesian version : alunauwie.com)
CinemaSerf2026-07-31
★ 7/10
Every now and again I have arguments with my friends about my total lack of engagement with social media. I've never had any of them, and have cookies set to off on just about everything - I even trawl through the hundreds of vendors on Letterboxd and tell them what to do with their "legitimate interest", but after watching this I am begining to wonder if there is, indeed, any safe and comprehensive way to remain outside the ambit of Yankee tech and it's ever-present advertising and AI training models. What this attempts to showcase, albeit entirely one-sidedly, is just how these corporations have gone from being passive providers of services that augment life to giant ones complicit in formulating the actual direction of our lives. The suggestions from some plausible former industry figures like Tristram Harris are that we are increasingly the subject of wholesale manipulation and that for the most part are completely unaware. Using a bit of hit-or-miss slightly polarised family drama, it proposes that we are being electronically prodded and poked into behavioural patterns that are not only addictive but that are also seeing greater impact on the mental health of those spending five or six hours a day down their rabbit holes. Suicide rates are rising amongst age ranges that shouldn't even be able to spell the word, and the only scrutiny is coming from politicians who - as one Republican senator readily ackowledges - haven't much of a clue what they are supposed to be investigating. All against a backdrop of trillions of dollars but a dwindling number of actual jobs for the people whom this film claims are becoming less relevent to this entire creative process. What's also curious here is that so many of these developers are white, T-shirt and jeans wearing, perfectly manscaped men who in themsleves are just as symbolic as the pre-defined all-American product that their systems - admittedly now some years down the line - are churning out. There is little space for individuality anywhere here - unless we turn the tide. These folks saw a cause for optimism. Perhaps that's because they have little more clue than the politicians who could force a change, but so long as we are all opted in until we bother to opt out, then this ultimate conspiracy theory has an uncomfortable ring of inevitable truth to it. If computers are the equivalent of cycles for the brain, then I suppose AI must be their autopilot. What need for us, then?