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Things like 'smartphone addiction' are why I believe software developers should have a strong professional code of ethics. Does nobody notice when they're writ

Things like 'smartphone addiction' are why I believe software developers should have a strong professional code of ethics. Does nobody notice when they're writing software with features designed around user "engagement" and "retention" that they're doing a disservice to their users? If not outright building addictions? I think a most developers do notice pieces of it, but don't connect the dots and/or rationalize it with some "mutual benefit" mental hand-waving. Taking ethics seriously would force us to confront the idea of software built for addiction. Show us how to spot it, and remove the mental wiggle room to minimize it. There is a set of common software practices that rise from iterating designs and throwing ideas up to A/B test that are so psychologically manipulative it would seen as downright sociopathic if it was planned from the get-go. - I'm not saying that's what's happening here, but if we can't even get rid of those, what chance do we have overall?

Arizhel 10y ago
>Things like 'smartphone addiction' are why I believe software developers should have a strong professional code of ethics. What good is that going to do? Software developers write software that they're told to. If you say "this is unethical and I'm not doing it", your employer will fire you on the spot and find someone else. Also, what you're talking about is something that's far more visible to someone working at a high level, e.g. the architect. An individual developer not only has no real power to change the system design, he also has limited visibility.
Arizhel 10y ago
>Things like 'smartphone addiction' are why I believe software developers should have a strong professional code of ethics. What good is that going to do? Software developers write software that they're told to. If you say "this is unethical and I'm not doing it", your employer will fire you on the spot and find someone else. Also, what you're talking about is something that's far more visible to someone working at a high level, e.g. the architect. An individual developer not only has no real power to change the system design, he also has limited visibility.

Arizhel 10y ago

>Things like 'smartphone addiction' are why I believe software developers should have a strong professional code of ethics. What good is that going to do? Software developers write software that they're told to. If you say "this is unethical and I'm not doing it", your employer will fire you on the spot and find someone else. Also, what you're talking about is something that's far more visible to someone working at a high level, e.g. the architect. An individual developer not only has no real power to change the system design, he also has limited visibility.

Arizhel 10y ago