a question for the young people behind our screens

 a question for the young people behind our screens: 

where do you draw the line?

I want to ask something of the young people working inside Facebook, Meta, Google, YouTube and the enormous technology companies shaping our lives.

Where are your ethics?

I know many of you are in a terrible position. You're young, you're trying to establish yourselves, pay rent, pay bills, build careers and keep your jobs. You may be working under enormous pressure, with targets to meet, managers to satisfy and shareholders expecting ever-increasing profits.

I understand that walking away from a job isn't always an option.

But at what point do you stop and ask yourself what you're actually helping to build?

We're watching an internet that was once full of possibilities become increasingly commercialized. People create the content, supply the photographs, write the blogs, make the videos and build the communities. Then the platforms find more ways to monetize those contributions, restrict access and charge people to reach audiences they helped create.

And it's not just about advertising or subscriptions.

We've heard disturbing stories about online scams, fraudulent call centres, impersonation, identity theft and people being manipulated out of their savings. Some reported scam operations have been linked to India and other countries. There are victims everywhere, and the problem crosses borders.

But I want to ask a bigger question.

Where does personal responsibility begin and end?

If you're designing systems that manipulate people into spending more time online, collecting personal information, exploiting vulnerabilities or making it harder for people to protect themselves, do you question it?

If you're asked to build something that you know could harm people, do you speak up?

If you see unethical practices happening around you, do you report them?

And if your employer tells you that it's simply business, is that enough?

I am not suggesting every young person working in technology is responsible for the decisions made by executives or shareholders. That's not fair. Many employees may have very little power over corporate policy.

But you still have a conscience. You still have a choice about what you accept, what you question and what you are willing to participate in.

History is full of people who said they were only doing their jobs. That doesn't mean every situation is comparable, but it does remind us that personal responsibility matters.

I have spent years blogging, creating artwork, building online communities and trying different small businesses. I've watched these platforms change dramatically.

I've seen the opportunities they created, but I've also watched independent creators become increasingly dependent on systems they don't control.

Facebook is now experimenting with limits on external links for some Pages unless users pay. YouTube and Google have built enormous businesses around online content and advertising.

And I find myself wondering what happens when the people who created the content finally walk away.

What happens when the next generation decides they don't want to work in an industry where every human interaction becomes another opportunity to extract money or personal information?

To the young people behind the screens, I genuinely hope you have opportunities to build careers you can be proud of.

But please don't lose sight of the people on the other side of those screens.

They're not data points, engagement statistics, advertising impressions or targets.

They're human beings.

So I'll ask again: where do you draw the line?

And when it all comes crashing down, will you be able to look back and say you helped make the internet a better place?

Or will you wish you had spoken up?

— Tina Winterlik / Zipolita

WhereAreYourEthics #TechEthics #DigitalResponsibility #SocialMedia #BigTech #Meta #Facebook #Google #YouTube #OnlineScams #DigitalPrivacy #DataProtection #HumanRights #CorporateAccountability #EthicalTechnology #ProtectPeople #InternetFreedom #IndependentCreators #DigitalRights #PeopleBeforeProfit