Comedian, writer and “self-confessed Twitter addict” David Baddiel has a new documentary coming out that explores how social media affects our behaviour online and off.
David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us will see the famous comedian - and songwriter - explore various factors associated with the platforms, which he recognises have the ability to revolutionise communication, highlight important issues and propel social change.
However, the one-off 60-minute documentary will also explore the darker side of social media interaction, often through Baddiel’s own experiences with Twitter and the angry and hateful tweets he receives.
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The BBC states that “David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us, will find out if the clear water between real life and our life on the screen has already dried up, and what this blurring of lines means for all of us.”
What to expect from David Baddiel: Social Media, Anger and Us
Outside of speaking to users, writers and experts on social media, the film will show David interrogating his brain’s responses to these messages in an MRI scan and going cold turkey for a fortnight to see if a life free of social media leads him to a new form of enlightenment.
He’ll also explore how the shadowy world of fake accounts and bots can spread disinformation and fake news, and how online abuse can sometimes have real-life consequences, highlighting the case of a Tik-Tokker who was the victim of arson.
What has David Baddiel said about his new documentary?
Baddiel has said of the show: “David Bowie, in 1999, said of the internet, this will change everything. As ever, Bowie was a prophet. Because what seems like just a means of communication has completely changed how we communicate.
“Social media in particular seems to have raised the temperature of every type of utterance. I’m hoping this film will add to the understanding of all this and not the anger. But I’m still expecting to be shouted at online about it, of course.”
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