In this episode, Rich and Sarah tackle Part 2 of their deep dive into the mysterious and manipulative world of surveillance capitalism by reviewing perhaps the most well-known documentary on the subject: The Social Dilemma. It’s a shocking look into how Big Tech attempts to manipulate and influence us–all told through the words of Silicon Valley tech experts.

To enhance the discussion, Maddie and Chrysoula join Rich and Sarah in studio to provide a Gen Z perspective on the documentary and topic. And it’s truly an amazingly unique perspective considering both have never known a world without the internet.

You will learn how the “attention economy” works and the methods tech giants like Google and Facebook employ to keep users engaged and collect voluminous amounts of data. All of this data is used to build sophisticated behavioral models that predict future behavior. These predictions are sold to advertisers who are practically guaranteed success. You will quickly see why these platforms are “free.” If the product is free, you are the product.

One of the creepiest techniques underlying surveillance capitalism is the psychological technique called positive intermittent reinforcement.

In a nutshell, Big Tech builds addictive platforms that repeatedly reward users with positive reinforcement to trigger the production of dopamine, a chemical released within the brain that makes people feel good.

By engaging on these platforms, users are sharing mountains of behavioral data that paint a clear picture of their lives, from political beliefs to deep-seated thoughts.

This is an episode that will leave you ruminating for days, if not weeks.

Documentary Link:
https://vimeo.com/462049229