The Social Dilemma is the latest Netflix documentary that everyone is talking about. Essentially an exposé on social media and technology from director Jeff Orlowski, it features interviews with some of the tech geniuses who helped develop the platforms we know so well (think Google, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, etc.) and paints a clear picture on how these businesses have evolved from something positive into a testing lab on the human brain and money making machines.

It’s a reminder of the power these platforms have over our lives, with some pretty eye-opening insights and statistics. Here, a few of the quotes that stood out to us - plus, some tips to help you navigate the digital sphere in a more positive way.

• “We’re the product. Our attention is the product being sold to advertisers.” - Justin Rosenstein, former engineer Facebook and Google, co-founder of Asana‍

• “It's the gradual, slight, imperceptible change in your own behaviour and perception that is the product.” - Jaron Lainer, founding father of Virtual Reality Computer Scientist‍

• “It's a marketplace that trades exclusively in human futures.” - Shoshana Zuboff, Harvard University professor‍

• “We’ve created a world in which online connection has become primary. Especially for younger generations. And yet, in that world, anytime two people connect, the only way it’s financed is through a sneaky third person whose paying to manipulate those two people. So we’ve created an entire global generation of people who were raised within a context with the very meaning of communication, the very meaning of culture, is manipulation.” - Jaron Lainer, founding father of Virtual Reality Computer Scientist‍

• “If something is a tool, it genuinely is just sitting there, waiting patiently. If something is not a tool it's demanding things from you. It's seducing you, it’s manipulating you, it wants things from you. We've moved away from a tools based technology environment, to an addiction and manipulation used technology environment. Social media isn't a tool waiting to be used. It has its own goals, and it has its own means of pursuing them by using your psychology against you.” - Tristan Harris, former design ethicist at Google and co-founder of Centre for Humane Technologies‍

• “We’re training and conditioning a whole new generation of people that when we are uncomfortable or lonely or uncertain or afraid, we have a digital pacifier for ourselves. That is kind of atrophying our own ability to deal with that.” - Tristan Harris, former design ethicist at Google and co-founder of Centre for Humane Technologies‍

• “I like to say that algorithms are opinions embedded in code. And that algorithms are not objective.    Algorithms are optimised to some definition of success. So if you can imagine, if a commercial enterprise builds an algorithm, to their definition of success, it’s a commercial interest. It’s usually profit.” - Cathy O’Neil, data scientist‍

• “There’s only a handful of people at these companies who understand how these [algorithm] systems work, and even they don't necessarily fully understand what's going to happen with a particular piece of content. So as humans we’ve almost lost control over these systems. Because they’re controlling the information that we see, they’re controlling us more than we’re controlling them.” - Sandy Parakilas, former operations manager at Facebook, former product manager at Uber‍

• “The way to think about it is as 2.5 billion Truman Shows. Each person has their own reality with their own facts. Over time you have the false sense that everyone agrees with you because everyone in your news feed sounds just like you. Once you're in that state, it turns out you're easily manipulated.” - Roger McNamee, Early investor venture capitalist in Facebook‍

• “The platforms make it possible to spread manipulative narratives with phenomenal ease, and without very much money.” - Renée Diresta, research manager of Stanford Internet Observatory, former head of policy at Data for Democracy‍

• “When we were making the like button, our entire motivation was ‘can we spread positivity and love in the world?’ The idea that fast forward to today and teens would be getting depressed when they don’t have enough likes or it could be leading to political polarisation was nowhere on our radar.” - Justin Rosenstein, former engineer at Facebook and Google, co-founder of Asana‍

Feeling overwhelmed by all of that? Here are a few tips from the film to help navigate the social media space:‍

• “Never accept a video recommended to you on YouTube. Always choose. That’s another way to fight.” - Jaron Lainer, founding father of Virtual Reality Computer Scientist ‍

• “Before you share, fact check. Consider the source. Do that extra Google. If it seems like it’s designed to push your emotional buttons, it probably is.” - Renée Diresta, research manager of Stanford Internet Observatory, former head of policy at Data for Democracy

• “I've uninstalled a ton of apps from my phone that I felt were wasting my time. All the social media apps, all the news apps and I've turned off notifications on anything that was vibrating my leg with information that wasn’t timely and important to me right now. It’s for the same reason that I don’t keep cookies in my pocket.” - Justin Rosenstein, former engineer at Facebook and Google, co-fonder of Asana

WATCH: The Social Dilemma trailer