The Cost of Convenience

I am a parent of 2 teenagers, and this documentary hit me right in the heart. It's not just another film; it's a soul-stirring journey into the core of our digital existence. Watching it, I couldn't help but reflect on the world I'm raising my children in and the profound impact technology has on their lives. The film's mission-to unveil the true costs of our digital dependency-is a wake-up call we desperately need. It's about more than just understanding the dangers lurking behind our screens; it's about preserving the essence of what it means to be human. Each revelation felt like a weight lifted from my shoulders, urging me to take a stand for my family's future. This documentary isn't just informative; it's a heartfelt plea to reclaim our humanity in a world dominated by algorithms and data. After watching, I'm inspired to make every effort to protect my children, our values, and our collective humanity, while there's still time.

This documentary helps us to better understand how technology has turned against us. The problem with big tech is quite simple. When you are the product, you will be exploited. The Silicon Valley business models simply don't provide a way out.

How we got here and where we seem to be going are explained by the film. I would consider it to be pretty neutral on the optimism/pessimism scale. It really works toward getting people to become more aware and taking action against the problems we face with the Internet & big tech in general.

There seems to be a movement brewing amongst the public and this movie is aligned with those efforts.

The Cost of Convenience documentary was very informative and the message was very well presented. I really hope the creators of the film will bring this message to schools across the world for children ages 10-16 years old. It would be a great way for children to understand how helpful technology is and also how it can be damaging. The film touches up on the subject of human behaviour, ethics, human rights and privacy. We don't realize how much personal information we share online and how this data is used. It is scary to think about all the information I've shared online and how this information is used. Need to be more mindful of how I'll be using technology!

This film is essential viewing for those wanting to be versed in the technological infiltration of humanity. Just researching the background of the experts interviewed has expanded my awareness of those taking action against these novel addictions, such as reStart's work with addressing screen addiction. As a viewer, this would easily be made a 10/10 if the framing of this work was more solution-oriented and especially not leaning on a fatalistic "it's too late" sensibility that the film ends on. However, if there's any sort of movement by the film makers to use this as a foundation for movements aimed at transcending the issues highlighted, I can see such focusing on the problems as justified, which is why I give this movie an optimistic 9/10. Solutions exist before problems.

As a person in their late 60's, I approached this documentary with a hint of skepticism, unsure of how it would resonate with my experiences shaped over the last few decades. Yet, from the first 20 minutes, it shattered my doubts. This film wasn't just about today's gadgets; it took me on a journey through the last four decades of digitization, offering a profound historical understanding that I had never before grasped. It peeled back the layers of complex tech concepts, making them accessible and relatable. Through its lens, I saw how technology has woven its way into the fabric of our lives, influencing everything from how we connect with others to how we view the world.