The more news I read about Facebook, the more I realize that whether we like it or not, it is a major and transformative player not just in the tech industry, but in the world as a whole. Facebook connects millions globally, and its focus on digital progress and innovation (the Metaverse, Llama 2, etc.) is pushing boundaries–for better or for worse. I certainly find myself disturbed by the ethical issues and controversies stirred by Facebook, but I also wonder how these problems are (or aren’t) offset by the good the company has done to connect and inspire the world. With that in mind, I found the theme of “ethical distance” in the reading to be quite interesting: what is considered a “safe” or “ethical distance” from a company’s wrongdoings if you are an employee there? If I worked on a Facebook product for internal use to make interdepartmental communication more efficient, am I an ethical enough distance away from Facebook’s external-facing wrongdoings? This is a question I would consider deeply if I was presented with a job at Facebook.
At this moment, I think I would take that job if it aligned with my career goals–so long as I knew beforehand the general direction my projects would take. I want to work with the knowledge that I am completing tasks that fulfill my personal values, even if the larger company doesn’t necessarily share those values.
