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I don’t work for Facebook. However, the issues are definitely more complex than media and politicians make it out to be. Misinformation: take this article fro

I don’t work for Facebook. However, the issues are definitely more complex than media and politicians make it out to be. Misinformation: take this article from the EFF: https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/07/disentangling-disinformation-not-easy-it-looks https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2021/07/disentangling-disinfor... Teen users: TikTok, where majority of the teens are, was surprisingly missing from all the discussions. My TikTok feed is far more risqué than my Instagram feed is. So on.. This isn’t as black or white as HN makes it out to be.

smt88 5y ago
> However, the issues are definitely more complex than media and politicians make it out to be. Sure, that's true. But if Facebook is in a "gray area" (which is very debatable), then why not work for a company that isn't in one? There are lots of companies to work for that don't have these endless debates about their ethics. > My TikTok feed is far more risqué than my Instagram feed is. Yeah, again, there are more than two companies to work for. It's not like anyone is so specialized in 1B+ social networks that they can only work for Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. It isn't even a matter of pay. There are comparable salaries at lots of companies.
- Calvin02 5y ago
  Sure, but what if Facebook’s views align with yours? I’d imagine that the employees believe that the company is trying to do the right thing. I think the question that people forget to ask is: what if Facebook disappeared tomorrow, will all our problems be solved?
  - smt88 5y ago
    > Sure, but what if Facebook’s views align with yours? I don't think Facebook's "views" are different from Facebook's profit motivations. An employee's views could certainly align with those, but it would be for financial reasons. There is no other consistent, underlying ideology at that company (or most others). > I think the question that people forget to ask is: what if Facebook disappeared tomorrow, will all our problems be solved? That's irrelevant to an employee's decision. If I decline to contribute to a govt surveillance program, will it still exist? Probably. But if I refuse to work on it, I can at least align my behavior with my morals, and (if I'm lucky) I will also harm the overall effort. No one is saying an individual employee can kill Facebook by refusing to work there. I'm just saying that if an employee (a highly skilled one, anyway) is even a little bit uncomfortable with Zuckerberg's ethics, they can: - work somewhere else - make as much money - enjoy their job just as much - not have to exist in an ethically gray area at work

smt88 5y ago

> However, the issues are definitely more complex than media and politicians make it out to be. Sure, that's true. But if Facebook is in a "gray area" (which is very debatable), then why not work for a company that isn't in one? There are lots of companies to work for that don't have these endless debates about their ethics. > My TikTok feed is far more risqué than my Instagram feed is. Yeah, again, there are more than two companies to work for. It's not like anyone is so specialized in 1B+ social networks that they can only work for Facebook, YouTube, or Instagram. It isn't even a matter of pay. There are comparable salaries at lots of companies.

Calvin02 5y ago
Sure, but what if Facebook’s views align with yours? I’d imagine that the employees believe that the company is trying to do the right thing. I think the question that people forget to ask is: what if Facebook disappeared tomorrow, will all our problems be solved?
- smt88 5y ago
  > Sure, but what if Facebook’s views align with yours? I don't think Facebook's "views" are different from Facebook's profit motivations. An employee's views could certainly align with those, but it would be for financial reasons. There is no other consistent, underlying ideology at that company (or most others). > I think the question that people forget to ask is: what if Facebook disappeared tomorrow, will all our problems be solved? That's irrelevant to an employee's decision. If I decline to contribute to a govt surveillance program, will it still exist? Probably. But if I refuse to work on it, I can at least align my behavior with my morals, and (if I'm lucky) I will also harm the overall effort. No one is saying an individual employee can kill Facebook by refusing to work there. I'm just saying that if an employee (a highly skilled one, anyway) is even a little bit uncomfortable with Zuckerberg's ethics, they can: - work somewhere else - make as much money - enjoy their job just as much - not have to exist in an ethically gray area at work