About The Cost of Convenience
The Cost of Convenience expertly tracks the intersecting technological and anthropological advances that have led to our continually evolving and ever-growing dependence on technology that is inevitably always a short reach away. Interviews with notable experts—including early Facebook investor-turned-internet ethicist Roger McNamee; Dr. Safiya Noble, author of Algorithms of Oppression: How Search Engines Reinforce Racism; and Dr. Hilarie Cash, founder of RESTART, a rehab center for technology addiction—outline the far-reaching (and seemingly bottomless well of) effects the technological tether has unleashed on younger generations who’ve never known an analog world while examining the irrevocable individual and societal impacts this convenient “access to everything” has levied on our privacy, our mental health, and our ability to connect with one another outside of a glowing screen. [92 min; documentary; English]
"Drawing a steep comparison to the atomic bomb, Donnelly reveals how little we ask ourselves what will happen if we develop our technological potential and what risks they inherently hold." — Christine Louise Hohlbaum, Psychology Today
"Fascinating film that should scare all of us into action. Thorough review of the history, but also fast-paced and gripping. The film is an eye-opener to the insidious nature of surveillance capitalism, where human experience is commodified and privacy is a relic of the past." — T. Donnelly, IMDb.com review
"I am a parent of two 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." — Brittany L., IMDb.com review
Any film screened at IU Cinema may contain content that viewers find sensitive or upsetting. Visit our Audience Advisories page to learn more.