I grew up in the South Bay and as a result have been exposed to the tech culture that companies like Google and Meta perpetuate in the area. Most of my childhood friends’ parents worked at one of the two companies and owned large houses in one of the most expensive zip codes with new Teslas. I grew up with a shifted reality of what a tech salary can offer: large vacations, tuition for college, and mansions in the hills. But at the same time, I watched apps like Facebook slowly affect our mental health, and companies like Google continue to exacerbate social inequities.
Having gone to high school in the Bay and now attending university here as well, I feel as if I have a unique social obligation to not follow down that pipeline. From a Bay Area scope, Facebook has contributed to the large economic inequity and gentrification of the South Bay. Its headquarters in Menlo Park helped push out local communities in East Palo Alto. Although they attempt to provide some form of reparations for that community, they are not necessarily addressing the problems they cause.
I personally don’t see a reality where I could work for Meta and feel comfortable with myself because I know about the direct impact their physical presence has had on some of my community members. Additionally, given that the company’s business model is centered around making their apps more addictive to both the youth and adult demographics, it seems inherently unethical to contribute to their mission. One of my personal values over the past few years has been to desensitize myself from social media addictions and the subsequent vanity that I developed from having appearance-based sources of validation from age 12. I do not think I would feel morally content with myself in helping a company achieve these goals.
However, there are a few cases that would cause me to reconsider later down the road. The utilitarian argument that the article mentioned would definitely pressure me into a survival situation. If I was significantly financially constrained, I would reconsider under the naive premise that it would only be my job until I am “self-sufficient.” Another consideration would be if I was working in the ethics or environmental governance departments of the company where I could potentially help a large corporation change their social impact for the better. Although it’s difficult to change an organization for the better and I acknowledge that it is highly unlikely, I feel as if it is more feasible than doing so in the actual government. Meta is also a large corporation, especially with its pivot to the Metaverse. I also see a reality where I could work for a Metaverse in K-12 education project. I think each of these comes down ultimately to how Meta deals with the inherent ethical implications of their projects or if they are solely prioritizing development and profit.
