Watch the discussion: The Social Dilemma

Our world is increasingly driven by social media and global technology companies - but are we using them or are they using us?

The acclaimed Netflix docudrama ’The Social Dilemma’ digs deep into silicon valley, looking at how the technology that connects us also controls us, manipulates us, polarises us, distracts us and monetises us.

On 24 Febuary the Intellectual Forum welcomed the film's director Jeff Orlowski to discuss the film, social media, and the future. Joining him was Renée DiResta, research manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory.

This event was cohosted with the University of Cambridge's ThinkLab, and is now available to watch online. 

More about the speakers:

Jeff Orlowski is the director, producer, and cinematographer of the award-winning films Chasing Coral and Chasing Ice. Chasing Coral received the US Documentary Audience Award at Sundance in 2017. Chasing Ice received the Documentary Cinematography award at Sundance in 2012 and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Song. Both films were shortlisted for an Academy Award for Best Documentary, screened at Congress and the United Nations, and have garnered awards and accolades from film festivals around the globe. Jeff founded Exposure Labs, a production company dedicated to impact through film. His latest film, The Social Dilemma, had its world premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

Renée DiResta is the Technical Research Manager at the Stanford Internet Observatory. She investigates the spread of malign narratives across social and other media networks. Renee’s areas of research include disinformation and propaganda by state-sponsored actors, and health misinformation and conspiracy theories. Renee has advised Congress, the State Department, and other academic, civic, and business organizations, and has studied disinformation and computational propaganda in the context of pseudoscience conspiracies, terrorism, and state sponsored information warfare.