← The Social Dilemma

Two printed sides. Print double sided, or print the back separately.

Name: Period: Date:

Movie: The Social Dilemma

Directed by Jeff Orlowski | Exposure Labs / Netflix (2020) | Rated PG-13 | 94 minutes

There are two sides to this worksheet. Do both sides!

Part 1: Watch and Learn (answer while watching)

Circle the best answer.

  1. According to the film, how do most social media companies make money?

    • A) Charging users a monthly fee
    • B) Selling advertisers access to users' attention
    • C) Selling users' phones
    • D) Selling their own products

  2. What three goals does the film say the platforms are trying to reach?

    • A) Engagement, growth and advertising revenue
    • B) Safety, privacy and fun
    • C) Education, news and science
    • D) Friendship, art and music

  3. In the family story, what does the mother try at dinner to cut down on phone use?

    • A) She cancels the internet
    • B) She locks the phones in a container
    • C) She throws the phones away
    • D) She calls the school

  4. What happens to Ben, the teenager, as the app keeps suggesting things to him?

    • A) He loses interest in his phone
    • B) The suggestions slowly show him more extreme content, which pulls him into a protest
    • C) He wins a contest
    • D) He becomes a computer engineer

  5. Which of these is a tip the experts give at the end?

    • A) Turn off notifications and do not accept the autoplayed next video
    • B) Buy a bigger phone
    • C) Post more often
    • D) Delete all your friends

Part 2: Think Like a Computer Scientist

  1. How a Recommendation Works: The film says apps choose what to show you next so you keep watching. Explain in your own words how that works. What information do you think the app uses to decide?

  2. Data and Privacy: One person in the film says, "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product." What do you think that means? Name two things a platform might know about you and how it could use them.

  3. Built on Purpose: Former employees say features like notifications, likes and autoplay were designed on purpose. Pick ONE feature. Explain how it works and why a designer might build it. Do you think designers have a responsibility for what it does to people?

  4. Your Choices: The film ends with tips for using social media differently. Pick two that you think would help a teenager and explain why. Would you add one of your own?

  5. Personal Connection: Which character in the movie do you think you are most like and why? (Ben, Isla, Cassandra, their mother, Tristan Harris, Jaron Lanier, or another character)