25 Top Movies About Social Media To Watch

An updated list of 25 movies about social media available to stream right now.

(Search Engine Journal)

By SEJ STAFF
Roger Montti

Social media is a part of modern life, so, naturally, more movies should embrace it as central to the experiences of the characters in the movies.

An interesting trend with social media-based movies is more comedies and the mixture of comedy with horror.

Here’s a list of movies with some new additions, in no particular order.

1. Not Okay (2022)
Comedy/Drama – Hulu

On the surface, “Not Okay” is a comedy about a misfit millennial anti-hero longing for social media fame who accidentally stumbles into it and subsequently becomes the internet’s most hated person. It’s also a gentle satire about the social media ecosystem.

British author Terry Pratchett observed that satire is best when it is aimed at the powerful.

In this movie, the powerful are the faceless social media consumers who both crown and cancel with brutal fickleness.

The movie’s star is Zoey Deutch, whose comedic performance had me laughing out loud from the very first minutes while also feeling dread because the outcome is known from the beginning of the movie.

It’s quite a feat to play an unlikable person in such a way the viewer can’t help but root for them, simultaneously cringing and laughing.

I enjoyed this movie very much.

2. Untraceable (2008)
Thriller – Hulu

“Untraceable” is a cat-and-mouse crime thriller starring Diane Lane as an FBI detective who is tracking down a killer who live streams murders while the faceless crowd eggs the killer on.

The movie subtly investigates empathy and society’s appetite for the gruesome. An early scene depicts a traffic jam caused by motorists pausing to glance at a body on a pavement beside the wreckage of an automobile accident.

A cop frantically waves his arms, yelling to the motorists to keep on driving, but the drivers ignore him and pause to gawk, a reminder of everyone’s capacity to be voyeurs of the macabre.

That scene is followed by another in which it is implied that a kitten is being tortured to death online. The detective and her boss watch the scene play out.

She is clearly distressed and disturbed by the lack of empathy expressed in the comments by the mob of digital rubberneckers. She speaks up and vows to take down the perpetrator.

Her boss scoffs and tells her to move on because it’s “just a kitten,” betraying his own lack of empathy.

The movie is about more than a quest to catch a killer. It explores the darkness of online social interactions and casual everyday cruelty.

A colleague of the detective later in the movie comments about the murder website that “it’s a jungle in there.” In an understated manner, his comment also hints that we’re all just a few clicks away from becoming part of that jungle.

If you like thrillers with serial killers, this is a good one that’ll scare you and leave you thinking.

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Social Media

Greg Tingle

Great list SEJ Our personal picks: 'The Social Network' (for opening the world's eyes to the numerous and potential and sometimes deadly hazards of social media) and boarderline social / I T hybrid movie of sorts, 'Blackhat'. For a tech movie/documentary you can't go past 'Running With The Devil', featuring John McAfee!!n and currently streaming on Netflix. Another hybrid movie 'Runner Runner' where publisher/gaming affiliates get done over by an offshore gaming tsar, and on tech affiliate chases down the person responsible in a move fraught with dangerous consequences Apologies for not sticking strictly to social media, however the socials connected us to the offshoots. Ah, 'The Social Dilemma', technically a documentary. Groundbreaking expose into the murky world of social media. Tag-line 'The Technology That Connects Us Also Controls Us'.
.*A documentary film or documentary is a non-fiction motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purpose of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record" (Wikipedia).

Media Man

Movies and Streaming Connection

Can movie theatres and online streaming live side by side?

It’s been a tough time for movie theatres around the world with a number of factors contributing to the decline in the number of people heading to the cinema to watch movies. In a world that is embracing digital technologies, the movie industry is in danger of getting left behind unless they quickly embrace the technologies available that will get people excited to return to movie theatres and get the enjoyment of the cinema experience once again.

The rise of the video game industry

Whilst there are plenty of factors that are influencing people’s decision to visit the cinema, there is no doubt that the rapid rise of the online video game industry is a large contributing factor. People are starting to look elsewhere for their entertainment and online video gaming provides a lower-cost alternative to a trip to the cinema.

A report by MarketWatch in 2020 found that the video game industry is now bigger than the sports and movie industry combined. Just take a minute to digest that. Bigger than movies and sports - that’s big.

The news outlet reported that global video game revenue is expected to increase 20% in 2020, making $179.7 billion, according to data from IDC.

The biggest gain is expected to come from mobile gaming, according to the news outlet, which is expected to surge 24% to $87.7 billion. Part of this is due to China recently lifting a ban on gaming consoles.

Game console revenue is expected to soar to $52.5 billion this year, while PC and Mac games are expected to make $39.5 billion.

In their most recent report, MarketWatch reported that whilst overall revenue was expected to grow by 11% in 2021 to $251.39 billion, the forecast for 2022 is just a 2% growth and a flattening out of that rapid growth over the past two years.

Is this a potential opportunity for cinemas to reclaim some of that lost audience share?

Early signs look good for cinemas in 2022

If the latest movie releases in 2022 are anything to go by, it looks as though the movie theatre industry is not ready to give up just yet. Spider-Man: No Way Home became the biggest grossing movie of the past two years, grossing over $US1 billion ($1.38b) in the first two weekends. It is the second-fastest film ever to reach the $1 billion mark and suggests that this could be a big year for cinema-goers.

Following in its footsteps is another 2022 release, The Matrix Resurrections, a movie that grossed $US12 million in its opening weekend.

Whilst this is a great start to the New Year for movie theatres around the world, it remains to be seen whether this is a trend that continues throughout the year. With a number of high profile movies due for release in 2022, this could be a time for cinemas to really cash in.

The impact of streaming and long-form content

It is unlikely that cinemas will have it all their own way in 2022. Whilst it is great to see people returning to movie theatres to watch the latest releases on the big screen, there is no question that home viewing is here to stay.

As more studios and media distributors are developing their own direct-to-consumer streaming services, this starts to eat into the revenue of major studios.

Studios derive almost half of their revenues from theatrical releases. Although the average number of movie tickets purchased by Americans each year has declined from 4.2 in 2009 to 3.4 in 2019 (Source: Deloitte), studio revenues are driven more by box office tickets now than they were 20 years ago.

Streaming is having the biggest impact on people going to the movies. As televisions have improved, where you can now watch movies at home in 4K high-definition on screens with sizes up to 100”, with surround sound, people have become more willing to wait for the latest release movies to become available on streaming services including Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Stan.

Another major impact on the cinema industry is the consumer switch to long-form content in the form of series. Many people feel there is more depth to a series that contains anywhere from six episodes upwards. Game of Thrones was one of the groundbreaking series to really capture the audience’s attention, however, there are so many amazing series now that it is becoming more difficult for movies to compete with the depth and the character development that a series can bring.

Huge series like Breaking Bad, The Sopranos and more recently, Succession, have really captured the attention of audiences around the world and this is something movie producers need to consider.

The entertainment factor

It’s not just video games and streaming that are competing for people’s attention. Another industry embracing technology is the online casino and betting sector. Here, we have seen huge advancements in the way people are able to game online. One company leading the way in the sector is Betway, “Developed by our exceptionally talented people, Betway creates market-leading, cutting-edge interactive gaming experiences. We bring people closer to the action – putting them at the centre, making them feel a part of it.”

From the introduction of in-game betting to the development of new and exciting interactive games, these online gaming sites are leading the way when it comes to embracing new technologies that can lead to better experiences for customers.

The movie industry is at a real crossroads. With competition coming from every direction within the entertainment industry, studios and distributors need to find a way to either a) get more people back into movie theatres or b) look at alternative ways to ensure that movies can compete with online gaming, live sports streaming and online casinos for a share of customer eyeballs.