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Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

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Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#211

Post by foobar_______ »

glaslong wrote: post #161
foobar_______ wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question - I know this will come off as inflammatory but I am genuinely curious. Do you ever talk to coworkers about the addictive, polarizing nature of Meta recommendation feed algorithms? There is pretty solid research around teen health (specially girls) around how many problems it causes. Is the pay just so good you turn a blind eye? Honestly, I can understand that if I am being honest. But I don't see as…

Frequently! It used to be tolerated (even encouraged) internally, and many people are pushing hard against such things all the time. These days it's a good way to get targeted for layoffs though, so I'm assuming our days are numbered. There are a lot of folks who also really do not care and are just here for the money though. The large majority, if I were to guess.

Thanks for the answer. Hmm, that is what I expected, but that's totally logical but a shame that people who have any amount of self-reflection on their work's impact are the first targeted for layoffs.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#212

Post by foobar_______ »

bevekspldnw wrote: post #194
foobar_______ wrote: post #123

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Serious question - I know this will come off as inflammatory but I am genuinely curious. Do you ever talk to coworkers about the addictive, polarizing nature of Meta recommendation feed algorithms? There is pretty solid research around teen health (specially girls) around how many problems it causes. Is the pay just so good you turn a blind eye? Honestly, I can understand that if I am being honest. But I don't see as…

I lived and worked in SV for several years. Basically people don’t see anything they do as wrong and have no concept of shame. It’s a combination of learned obedience to authority and greed. You just take a bunch of people who made all A’s in school by doing whatever they were told by authority figures, give them new authority figures who give them new “homework” (monetize suicidal ideation), and the money to buy a c…

I never thought about it as obedience to authority, but ya maybe that is it. I still kind it would fall under the greed bucket where they are willing to submit to their corporate kings if it means they get more RSUs and the new car and the bigger house. Social media might be the single largest factor in the current disintegration of community and connectedness at scale.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#213

Post by scottious »

scylla wrote: post #191
scottious wrote: post #111

Earlier quoted context omitted.

cars are not exactly a success story. Both of your examples (cars and internet) are things that had some great applications but also have been mis-used or over-used. cars: people now live completely car-dependent lives and drive way too much. our infrastructure cannot handle people driving so much and it's extremely expensive and bad for our health and terrible for the environment internet: well... obviously... socia…

Even if you believe that humanity would have been better if a some global dictator could have stopped the Internet and the Internal combustion system, that's simply not how society works. If you want another analogy, it's like Feudal Knights complaining about the introduction of the crossbow. Not only were their efforts doomed to fail even the question became irrelevant with the unstoppable march of technological inn…

But I'm not arguing for stopping the internet or stopping cars from existing. I think both of those things have great applications that shouldn't be ignored.

All I'm saying is that many technologies are a double-edged sword. They can have wonderful uses that make life better, but they can also make life worse in some ways. The Internet and cars are two perfect examples of that. And by the time we realize the harms of these technologies, it's too late.

So perhaps the challenge with any technology is figuring out how to reap the benefits without letting things get out of hand.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#215

Post by cindyllm »

IAmBroom wrote: post #207
dominotw wrote: post #122

Earlier quoted context omitted.

describes every single company in usa right now

Nihilism is so cool and edgy! I work for a large, employee-owned company that makes a serious, positive difference in the world. As have most of the corporations I've worked for. Many are bad. There's no monetary incentive for morality in corporations, generally. But some are decent, or even good.

[dead]

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#216

Post by arolihas »

dijit wrote: post #136
arolihas wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Donating to charities or NGOs might be more harmful than anything you've ever done.

Fly-by snark is an interesting choice. What were you hoping to achieve with this comment other than making a person who is being vulnerable to anonymous internet denizens feel worse?

Just another perspective, no snark intended. I don’t see how helping “refugees” is some objective good.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#217

Post by arolihas »

zipy124 wrote: post #137
arolihas wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Donating to charities or NGOs might be more harmful than anything you've ever done.

If you ever actually see the work or something charities on the ground and the people they help you might change your mind very quickly. They certainly do more good than another million in some index fund.

Depends on where and what work they are doing.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#218

Post by arolihas »

rob74 wrote: post #132
arolihas wrote: post #120

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Donating to charities or NGOs might be more harmful than anything you've ever done.

I guess you were among the ones applauding when Elon put USAID "into the woodchipper"?

Not really. Just mortified at how incapable the people we have been supposedly helping for decades are after just a short stop in funding.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#219

Post by dijit »

arolihas wrote: post #216
dijit wrote: post #136

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Fly-by snark is an interesting choice. What were you hoping to achieve with this comment other than making a person who is being vulnerable to anonymous internet denizens feel worse?

Just another perspective, no snark intended. I don’t see how helping “refugees” is some objective good.

Guess your country was never invaded by a genocidal expansionist neighbour or been taken over by a militant theocracy/dictatorship.

Hope for your sake that it doesn’t happen. In the meantime, I’ll keep supporting Ukrainians.

I don’t consider it harmful.

Re: Meta's New Reality: Record High Profits. Record Low Morale

#220

Post by arolihas »

dijit wrote: post #219
arolihas wrote: post #216

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just another perspective, no snark intended. I don’t see how helping “refugees” is some objective good.

Guess your country was never invaded by a genocidal expansionist neighbour or been taken over by a militant theocracy/dictatorship. Hope for your sake that it doesn’t happen. In the meantime, I’ll keep supporting Ukrainians. I don’t consider it harmful.

No that’s never happened to India you’re right. If you “support” relocation of a Ukrainian like Iryna Zarutska they might end up moving to Charlotte, NC where they get stabbed on a train. Road to hell paved with good intentions and all that.
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