The article reminds me of a book I have read before: “Stolen Focus” by Johann Hari. Social media platforms like Facebook are designed to hoard our attention and keep us there, all to serve more advertisements. It is ultimately exploiting human vulnerability. From a business standpoint, that makes sense. Facebook needs attention to survive. The downside, though, is that it often leads to distraction and even addiction for many people.
I think the real impact of social media depends on how we use it. In moderation, it’s a great way to stay connected with friends, but it’s easy to cross the line into overuse, which can be harmful. It reminds me of the ethical dilemmas raised in the Psilocybin Project article. Employees at Facebook could face similar questions—are they contributing to something that’s hurting people? But how close you are to the issue matters. I am really passionate about VR. I have always wanted to join Meta’s Reality Labs because it is leading the way in virtual reality. I find the chance to be part of that innovation to be exciting. If I’m working on VR, I’m not directly involved in the attention economy, which eases some of those concerns.
At the end of the day, the VR work I want to do is separate from the core of Meta’s social media operations. Virtual reality has huge potential to do good, from creating new ways to experience entertainment to transforming education. Joining Meta’s VR team could give me the chance to be part of something positive, far from the distractions of social media.
Yes. I think I would still take the job. I understand the ethical concerns around Facebook’s business model, but I believe VR has the power to change the world in a way that feels more meaningful. If I can focus on building that future, then I’m all in.
