In mid-September, the documentary "The Social Dilemma" was considered on social media as "scarier than any horror film", as it addressed the negative effects of business practices in the social media industry. Social media giant Facebook posted a seven-point objection to the Netflix documentary.
"We need to have discussions about the impact of social media on our lives. "But 'The Social Dilemma' gives a distorted picture of how social media works," Facebook (via Variety) said.
The 93-minute documentary features interviews with former executives of Facebook, Twitter, Google and other companies and addresses a variety of issues, including technology addiction, the spread of false information, conspiracy theories, algorithm manipulation, and more.
Facebook reacted by saying that the filmmakers did not include knowledge from experts currently working in the respective companies, but relied only on the comments of those who were once inside the industry.
Regarding the algorithm, Facebook said that Netflix itself, where the documentary aired, uses an algorithm that determines who should watch a particular movie. According to Facebook, this happens with any online content.
Among other things, the company stressed that:
- has erred in the past, referring to data manipulation during the 2016 US presidential election, but has since made strong efforts to protect people.
- The claim that Facebook influences the spread of false information is wrong, as the platform has more than 70 partners to check the facts.
- has made significant changes to the way user data is managed while respecting privacy agreements.
