Would you accept a job at Facebook?
I would accept a job at Facebook but I think I would also consider the viewpoints brought up in Business Ethics. I think complete ignorance or “pretend[ing] like the ethical stain isn’t there” would be difficult for me because I acknowledge that I owe a part of getting the job to luck. There may be other individuals that only had less fortunate luck than myself but that makes all the difference in their pay, position, treatment, benefits, etc. However, is it really better to be aware but continue to partake in such an organization? I think I would categorize my approach as “Explicitly Accepting Employment at an Ethically Difficult Workplace”. While the parts about how Facebook controls the flow of information doesn’t bother me as much now (since this has pretty much been reality over the last decade), I think some things that do bother me are bandaid initiatives like Facebook attempting to bridge the digital divide in developing countries through the Meta Connectivity Free Basics program. The problem with these initiatives is that they ‘may exacerbate these existing demographic inequalities, creating a “poor Internet for poor people.”’ (EFF). However, one of the things I hope to explore more in this class is how to balance profit with non-profit efforts, since I think I would justify my position in Facebook as generating revenue that would hopefully do some good and that has the potential to possibly do more good (like providing internet to areas that didn’t have it before).
