According to the reading on ethically complicated organizations, there are several reasons why someone might hesitate to get a job at Facebook. Breaching privacy of the customers, environmental impact, and ethically incorrect missions are all some of the reasons why. Facebook, especially after the Facebook Papers, has raised concerns in many of these areas—especially regarding the impact of its algorithms on mental health, misinformation, and data privacy.
A job at Facebook could raise questions about how close your work aligns with unethical practices. If your work directly contributes to the company’s actions that you find morally questionable, the dilemma becomes harder to ignore. For example, if you’re working in a division that improves engagement through algorithms that foster harmful content, your involvement in the problem is clear.
Facebook is a powerful platform, and working there could allow you to advocate for change. Alternatively, accepting the role could provide opportunities for personal growth and professional development that may eventually lead to ethically cleaner opportunities. I do think that I would take the job at Facebook and try to eliminate the factors that were unethical in my area as much as I’m capable.
