Film
The Facebook Dilemma
A two-part documentary investigating Facebook's rise and its consequences for privacy, democracy, and global society. Through interviews with insiders, researchers, and affected communities, it traces how a social network became a geopolitical force. Urgent and meticulously reported, it's essential viewing for anyone trying to understand our digital moment.
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The Social Dilemma2020
This Netflix documentary argues that social media platforms are engineered to be addictive and manipulative, with former tech executives explaining the psychological tactics at play. It complements Facebook Dilemma with a focus on attention economy and design.
But Some criticise it for presenting tech workers as naive rather than complicit, and for offering little in solutions beyond individual digital detox.
Citizenfour2014
Laura Poitras's Oscar-winning film about Edward Snowden and mass surveillance reveals how governments and companies collect data at scale. It shares The Facebook Dilemma's concern with privacy invasion and institutional power, but with espionage stakes.
But It's slow-burn and deliberately tense; some find the pacing gruelling rather than gripping, and it assumes comfort with technical concepts.
The Great Hack2019
This documentary follows the Cambridge Analytica scandal, showing how Facebook data was weaponised for political campaigns. It's a direct sequel to The Facebook Dilemma's concerns, with faces and names attached to the manipulation.
But The narrative structure occasionally prioritises drama over nuance, and some subjects become more sympathetic than their actions warrant.
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The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace2011
Both see technology as inseparable from ideology and power. Curtis shows the intellectual roots of Silicon Valley thinking; The Facebook Dilemma shows the consequences.
Adam Curtis's three-part essay film traces how cybernetics, economics, and Silicon Valley utopianism shaped the digital age we inhabit. It's oblique and philosophical where The Facebook Dilemma is direct, offering a deeper historical context for why tech companies think they do.
But Curtis's associative editing style and portentous narration feel willfully opaque; you have to surrender to the argument rather than follow it step-by-step.
More like this (6)
Make Room for Daddy1953
A limited series examining how social media has reshaped intimacy, activism, and mental health through the stories of four women. It's quieter than The Facebook Dilemma but explores the personal cost of digital life.
But The focus on individual experience over systemic analysis may feel incomplete if you want policy-level critique.
The Cleaners2018
This documentary follows content moderators in the Philippines who remove posts from Facebook and other platforms. It reveals the human labour—and psychological damage—behind the scenes of social media.
But It's deliberately disorienting and doesn't offer clear narrative resolution, which some find frustrating rather than thought-provoking.
Shadowban2022
An investigation into algorithmic censorship and suppression on social platforms, featuring creators and activists who claim their reach has been mysteriously throttled. It extends The Facebook Dilemma's concerns into how platforms control visibility.
But Some claims are harder to verify than others, and the documentary doesn't always distinguish between evidence and speculation.
The Internet's Own Boy: The Story of Aaron Swartz2014
This documentary profiles Aaron Swartz and his fight against internet censorship and corporate control of information. It's about resistance to the same forces The Facebook Dilemma examines—and what that resistance costs.
But It's emotionally heavy, culminating in tragedy that some find devastating rather than motivating.
Heroin(e)2017
Both examine how powerful systems normalise harm and who pays the price. One is about algorithms; one is about pills. The mechanism is the same.
This documentary follows three women fighting the opioid crisis in Huntington, West Virginia. It seems unrelated to Facebook until you realise The Facebook Dilemma and Heroin(e) are both about institutions—one digital, one pharmaceutical—that prioritise profit over human welfare.
But It's intimate and local rather than systemic; you won't leave it understanding drug policy, but you'll feel the ground-level cost.
The Yes Men Fix the World2009
Both investigate what happens when corporations prioritise money over ethics, but The Yes Men use satire and disruption instead of interviews and evidence.
A guerrilla documentary where activists impersonate corporations to expose their lies. Where The Facebook Dilemma is investigative journalism, this is subversive performance art—same target (corporate malfeasance), opposite tactic.
But Some pranks land harder than others; the film's humour can undercut its own fury, and pranksterism feels lighter than the scale of the problems it addresses.
People
Cast
Mark ZuckerbergSelf (archive footage)
Directing
- James JacobyDirector