Important TED talks everyone would benefit from seeing

This documentary and the hundreds of ted talks I have watched are what have made me smarter and more understanding of psychology, technology, and many other topics. Here's a summary of a good documentary based on Tristan Harris's Ted talk about persuasive technology and how it's used everyday.

Summary of "The Social Dilemma"

The Social Dilemma is a 2020 Netflix documentary-drama hybrid that investigates the profound and often dangerous impact of social media on individuals and society. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, the film features interviews with former employees and experts from major tech companies, interwoven with a dramatized narrative about a fictional American family whose members are each affected differently by social media use2 6.

Key Themes and Content:

Manipulation and Addiction:
The documentary reveals how social media platforms are engineered to maximize user engagement, growth, and advertising revenue. Algorithms track users' behaviors, build predictive models, and serve personalized content to keep people scrolling, often leading to addictive behaviors. As one expert puts it, "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product"2 5.
Psychological Impact:
The film highlights the negative effects of social media on mental health, especially among teenagers. Issues such as depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, and increased rates of self-harm and suicide-particularly among young girls-are linked to social media use and the pressures of online validation and cyberbullying2 5.
Spread of Misinformation:
The documentary discusses how fake news and disinformation spread rapidly on social platforms, driven by algorithms that prioritize engagement over truth. This "disinformation-for-profit" model contributes to polarization and societal division2.
Dramatized Narrative:
The fictional story centers on a family of five: a pre-teen girl who becomes insecure due to negative social media comments, a teenage boy who is gradually radicalized by algorithm-driven content, and their older sister who resists smartphone use. The narrative illustrates the real-world consequences of social media addiction, manipulation, and misinformation, showing how these forces can fracture families and communities2 5.
Expert Testimonies:
Interviews with former tech insiders, such as Tristan Harris (link goes to his ted talk about how tech companies control billions of minds and former Google design ethicist) and Tim Kendall (former Facebook director), provide insider perspectives on the deliberate design choices that make social media addictive and manipulative. They compare the experience to gambling, likening notifications and feeds to slot machines2 5.
Calls to Action:
The documentary concludes with practical advice for viewers to regain control over their digital lives, such as turning off notifications, avoiding algorithmic recommendations, and setting boundaries for device usage2.

Overall Message:
The Social Dilemma warns that social media platforms, in their pursuit of profit, have created systems that manipulate users' emotions and behaviors, erode mental health, and undermine social cohesion. The film urges viewers to recognize these dangers and take steps to reclaim autonomy over their attention and information consumption2 6 5.

“Perhaps the single most lucid, succinct, and profoundly terrifying analysis of social media ever created for mass consumption.” - IndieWire6

Citations:

1. https://www.coolmindshk.com/en/the-social-dilemma-a-summary/

2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Social_Dilemma

3. https://www.themilfordmessenger.com/uncategorized/2020/11/15/an-analysis-of-netflixs-the-social-dilemma/

4. https://journalism.uiowa.edu/news/2020/10/students-view-social-dilemma

5. https://thecentraltrend.com/123308/opinion/the-social-dilemma-is-a-powerful-documentary/

6. https://thesocialdilemma.com

7. https://www.reddit.com/r/NetflixBestOf/comments/ipbsu2/us_the_social_dilemma_2020_this_documentarydrama/

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

What happens when isolation or no social contact is prolonged

Why AI is our greatest innovation by Tristan Harris TedTalk

What makes a good life? the longest study on what makes people happy and healthy

10 Ways to have a better conversation TedTalk by Celes te Headlee

How to find truth in a "Post Truth" world by Alex Edman s

What you need to know about face surveillance and privacy (Chris Loper used to say exactly this "I have nothing to hide so why should I worry?" Now today he hides everything he says and does.....)

Two Ted Talks by Ben Goldacre: What doctors don't know about the drugs they prescribe and Battling bad science

How google, facebook and amazon and apple manipulate our emotions

This is the Ted Talk that led to the use of blood plasma or stem cells for it's healing properties

A good Ted talk about Stress and how to cope with normal amounts of stress

How to have a Hi-level mindset by Cordae

Funny Ted talk about procrastination

Funny Ted Talk about what happens if you reply to a spam email

The agony of trying to unsubscribe funny Ted Talk

This Ted talk explains how Youtube's algorithm has spread misinformation and is dangerous when it's algorithm is left to suggest video's for you or your children

Summary of "The Great Hack"

"The Great Hack" is a 2019 documentary that investigates the Facebook–Cambridge Analytica data scandal, focusing on how personal data was harvested and weaponized to influence major political events, most notably the 2016 U.S. presidential election and the Brexit referendum1 2 67.

Key Themes and Content:

The film details how Cambridge Analytica, a now-defunct data analytics firm, collected vast amounts of personal data-up to 5,000 data points per individual-to target and manipulate "persuadable" voters with tailored political messaging26.
It follows the stories of whistleblowers and former employees, such as Brittany Kaiser, and journalists like Carole Cadwalladr, who helped expose the scandal2 56.
The documentary visualizes the scale and impact of data exploitation, illustrating how seemingly innocuous online activities (like Facebook quizzes) contributed to detailed psychological profiles that were then used for political micro-targeting4 56.
"The Great Hack" also highlights the broader dangers of the digital economy, showing how personal data is commodified and used to manipulate behavior on a mass scale, raising urgent questions about privacy, consent, and the power of big tech companies67.
The film critiques not only Cambridge Analytica but also the systemic issues in the tech industry that allow such abuses to occur, emphasizing the need for enforceable data rights and stronger privacy protections57.

Critical Reception:

The documentary has been praised for making the invisible world of data exploitation visible and accessible, though some critics note that it spends significant time on individual personalities at the expense of deeper systemic analysis56.
It serves as both a warning and a call to action regarding the misuse of personal data in modern society67.

In essence, "The Great Hack" reveals how data-driven manipulation has become a powerful force in shaping public opinion and democracy, urging viewers to reconsider their relationship with digital platforms and the information they share online.

Citations:

Answer from Perplexity: pplx.ai/share

Here is a Technology Ted talks then I will end with a summary of why this entire blog post is very important to me especially.

The world at a Trillion frames per second

Now as you can see just by these few ted talks if you applied some of the most important ones to your lives as I have mine you will find out the truth about youtube videos and how their suggestion algorithm works and how to have a better conversation by actually listening with the INTENT to understand and not respond (as my father and sister, even mother have), you will learn how bad social media is for anyone especially young minds which our lawmakers overturned the ban on social media in schools, social media like Facebook only makes people more depressed because like I have always told an old employee of the buccaneer I used to think was a friend, it is only a highlight reel of other peoples lives and does not reflect their actual lives and I can say that with absolute certainty! Doom-scrolling will only depress you when the people who post those highlights are just as depressed as everyone else and have just as many problems.

I will continue to add more as I learn more, and remember always be skeptical of what you read on Facebook, I would recommend double-checking even the things you think are facts (which most likely are just your own conformation biases) with it, and you can even use it for your everyday news you want to see just use the question on perplexity like this: What is the current global news? Only the unbiased facts.

By doing these few things you remove bias, ads and just get the facts for state, city, or even global news and you won't be lead my headlines with loaded words. So check your biases prove they are either right or wrong before you start spewing them to others or even online ever!!

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The Truth is out there, Really!