F- Facebook’s Ethical and Professional Responsibilities
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Recently, Frances Haugen, a former Facebook employee, presented testimony before Congress (and also in public interviews) describing how Facebook’s engagement algorithms encourage extreme content, and testtifying that Facebook knows this but chooses not to modify its algorithm because doing so would lessen their advertising revenues. Apparently, content that promotes conspiracy theories, fear, and mistrust of others draws in users to remain on the platform longer and become more engaged than thoughtful, moderate content that encourages people to consider both sides and seek the truth. Further, evidence was presented that Instagram (also owned by Facebook) can be “toxic” to teens and, in a substantial number of cases, may lead to anxiety, stress, and depression in young girls, and that Facebook is also aware of this. For example, its viral search algorithm was demonstrated to lead extremely quickly from queries about a healthy diet to shocking sites promoting anorexia as a means of losing weight.Legally, Facebook may not face any repercussions for its actions, because current corporate law holds corporations responsible primarily to their shareholders, which encourages them to maximize profit at nearly any cost. Additionally, Section 230 of the 1996 Communications Decency Act protects online hosting services like Facebook from liability associated with user-generated content, based on the premise that such companies simply provide access, not oversight. (We may have time to discuss Section 230 later in the class, but that is not the subject of this essay.)Do you believe that Facebook’s position is ethical? Why or why not? What professional responsibility should Facebook have when considering how its actions may affect the mental health of the users of their platform, and/or the health of the public and our democracy as a whole?Write an 800+ word essay that discusses your personal views of Facebook’s ethical and professional responsibilities. As part of your discussion, anlyze this situation using TWO of the ethical theories presented in Ch. 2 of the course textbook (not including relativism or egoism). While you were not required to read Ch. 3 (Professional Ethics) for this essay, feel free to reference it if you wish. As with other essays, outside research is permitted but not required, and a general citation is presumed for any concepts taken from the textbook or class lectures and course materials. This means that you need not include citations or a bibliography if your information is limited to those sources and if no specific verbiage is borrowed. (However, if you use specific words from others, whether from the course textbook or from other sources, you must always use quotations marks and provide citation information. This remains true as long as the quote is recognizable, even if some modifications are made.)
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