10 Great Movies Like The Social Dilemma Everyone Needs To See

While "The Social Dilemma" explores the ways that technology companies use social data for political advantage, 2019's "The Great Hack" takes a much more in-depth look at this in its focus on the modern scandal surrounding Cambridge Analytica. Featuring prominent journalists, educators, and former employees, "The Great Hack" is an extensive and stark exploration of the power of data.

Framed by the 2016 U.S. election and the U.K.'s Brexit referendum, the documentary delves into Cambridge Analytica and how this company mined valuable data — predominantly via Facebook — to target undecided voters. Cambridge Analytica built detailed profiles of users based on information that was readily available or willingly given online (under the auspices of filling out a "personality test"). In this way, the company was able to create targeted campaigns peddling more extreme political views onto people's newsfeeds to persuade them to vote in a particular way.

"The Social Dilemma" somewhat parodies this idea, with the character of Ben targeted with content by the fictional political group, Extreme Center. They may have been fictional, but "The Great Hack" proves that complex algorithms do exist to try and sway someone's political beliefs. The more you consume, the more content you see, and the greater the divides in society become. Both films also explore the idea of social media users and their data being a commodity, with former development director for Cambridge Analytica, Brittany Kaiser, going as far as saying that data has become more valuable than oil. With the feeling that we are powerless to control how our data is used and abused, "The Great Hack" serves as an effective cautionary tale about the danger of autonomous, powerful big tech companies.