8 disturbing movies and shows on social media and Big Data, on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video – VOGUE India

Who doesnt appreciate a good watch exploring the dark side of technology? Sure, it's scary considering some of the situations are highly relatable, and when the realisation that it may be happening to us, hits home. But chances are that these movies and shows will make you question things that have been so normalised, we don't look up from our screens to think about them. From the recently trending documentary The Social Dilemma to the nail-biting drama Searching, here's what you should tune into if you're in the mood for a reality check on Big Data.

The name Cambridge Analytica was in the news a lot in 2018for all the wrong reasons. The data company came into the limelight for accumulating personal information from millions of Facebook users without their consent. Its agenda was targeted towards political advertising, which raised a lot of questions on the ethicality of Facebook's privacy policy. The Great Hack tries to get to the bottom of this data scandal by showcasing accounts by professor David Carroll, British investigative journalist Carole Cadwalladr, and former business development director for Cambridge Analytica, Brittany Kaiser.

Streaming on Netflix

The docudrama highlights the toxic impact of social media on humanity. While this statement may seem generic, the revelations made in this series are certainly not. The information about the subtle ways in which Silicon Valley giants attract and manipulate our attention, given by some of the most influential names in the industrymany of them high ranking ex-employees and foundershits scarily close to home. It also shows how these companies use their audience base for profits as they sell user data and surveillance information, influencing political agendas across the world. The impact of these apps on mental health is also touched upon in detail.

Streaming on Netflix

If you can't trace a person's digital footprint in present times, they're as good as non-existent. David Kim (John Cho) fails to get in touch with his 16-year-old daughter after a night out at her friend's place. Eventually realising she's missing, he reports it and an investigation is initiated. 37 hours pass and authorities fail to uncover even a single lead. As David gets desperate for answers, he decides to investigate his daughter's laptop and starts conversing with her friends on Facebook. Through his efforts, he eventually comes across secrets which may bring his world crumbling down. The entire film is shown through smart devices and social media apps to highlight their true impact on our daily lives.

Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video

Based on the lucrative phishing scams that are so prevalent in our country, Jamtara unearths the whole process and blends it with an intense narrative. Two cousins who run a phishing scam and make a decent profit off of it, but a news piece on it throws the whole network under the bus. To think the police would put an end to it is far from the truth, as a local politician takes the boys under his wing to earn an extra buck himself.

Streaming on Netflix

Having robots at your beck and call to do all the chores at home that you despise, is an ideal future scenario for many. However, Humans is here to give you a slightly different perspective on how things may not be so hunky-dory. Set in an alternate reality, the show is about a must-have piece of technology called a Syntha highly sophisticated humanoid robot designed for human help. When the Hawkins family buys a restored Synth to ease their lives, they come to realise that living with a droid can have dangerous implications.

Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video

Joseph Gorden-Levitt plays the infamous Edward Snowden in this brilliantly curated biopic. Disappointed with the agenda of the intelligence agency, Edward quits his job at the NSA when he comes across colossal amounts of data being assembled to trace all forms of digital information. This includes not only foreign governments and terrorist organisations but also regular American citizens. He makes the hard decision to leak this information at the cost of his safety and freedom. As people are shocked to learn the true intentions of the government, Edward is deemed a traitor.

Available to buy on Amazon Prime Video

"Our democracy has been hacked" is the tagline around which this show is weaved. Narrating the story of a brilliant engineer, Elliot Alderson, who suffers from social anxiety and clinical depression, Mr Robot dives into the dark world of a global conspiracy which threatens the privacy of the world. Elliot acts as a cybersecurity expert by day and a hacking vigilante by night. His skills see him approached by a secret underground organisation to take down the corporate world including the company he works for. The situation catapults him into the centre of an ethical dilemma but his ideals to do the right thing prevail.

Streaming on Amazon Prime Video

A virtual slap in the face of humanity, Black Mirror focuses on an alternate reality where the screens that influence our lives have slowly transformed into the reason for our existence. The anthology focuses on a constant battle with technology not in the Terminator sort of way, but darker, more insidious. It highlights more of the subtle destruction of human conscience as technology beats it into submission, rendering it moot. Each episode details a different scenario ranging from severely dark to satirical.

Streaming on Netflix

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8 disturbing movies and shows on social media and Big Data, on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video - VOGUE India