this post was submitted on 13 Jun 2023
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There is nothing explicitly sinister there. I liked everyone there, everyone was really nice. In a sense that highlights the issue that this is an inherent problem with corporations. No one was explicitly trying to do harm, in fact people were trying to do good in terms of bringing saftey for women, advertising for racial/trans equality, etc. The problem I see is everyone is so focused on growing the platform and profits, that no one is thinking about what theyre doing wrong.
There are no explicit algorithmic tricks either, and there doesnt even need to be. The matching algorithm is actually dead on simple. But because the core metrics are profits and user engagement, even the corp running random experiments will end up naturally turning the platform more and more into a cash cow, with no regard or care as to what its doing to people.
What I mean is there doesn't need to be a room full of people thinking about how to exploit peoples psychology to use the app more, just the fact that the core goal of the whole organization is to make money, any actions it takes will naturally lead to that. If there's ever a compromise between humane values or profits, it will be profits.
Very insightful points. You're essentially identifying one of the mechanisms by which capitalism allows people to benefit from unethical behavior without taking responsibility. The corporation is a black box which takes in well intentioned individual work and input, and spits out dystopian corporate products and systems. No one person can be held responsible and the corporation becomes the scapegoat for the collective unethical behaviors of it's constituents.
Most people participate in this transmutation unknowingly, but some sharks fully understand that they can afford to be extremely shady and dodge the consequences through the corporate shield. Thus you end up with perfectly good people who become complicit in horrible shit.
That's why I don't have a job ๐ (But I actually do and that seems worse to admit rn)