Would it be ethical (in terms of the common good of mankind) in the future for just one social media network to have all the seven functionalities making it more convenient for us to use one integrated social media network? (a hypothetical example: We’ll all use just one -“The Future Facebook” to answer all the seven functionalities)
No. It wouldn’t be ethical to have all platforms integrated into a single platform. Yes, it is convenient and easier, yet the information that a single platform can gain from a user is enormous to the extent that it’s virtually unlimited.
The most pressing ethical issue all the time with regards to social media is privacy and access to our information. How much information do they have on us? Answer: A lot. They practically own our lives. And one thing about social media is that all these information are for sale, a part of our identity is sold to data companies – and we actually agreed to this upon agreeing the terms & conditions that we didn’t actually care to read upon signing up on Facebook.
Having a single platform gives us the illusion of having a control of our activities, but in fact they control us. Social media has been part of our lives that leaving it may cause psychological problems to the user. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs should practically be updated for the future generations – and Facebook should be near the bottom of the pyramid just above food.
Furthermore, having an all-in-one integrated social media network can be very dangerous to the users for security reasons. Hackers will simply have to focus all their attention to a single platform, and they will have access to all our information. Whereas having different platforms means that we’ll at least have more safety features in place to protect ourselves.
I can’t remember how many movies have depicted a dystopia where machines ruled over man. And having an all powerful platform that can take our information as hostage is simply dangerous – it’s like the starting plot of Terminator.
An ecosystem thrives because of rich biodiversity. Each organism – no matter how small – has a role to play to ensure the survival of the ecosystem. Similarly to the internet – which is a virtual ecosystem – it will be much better if this digital space is kept diversified. Having a single all-in-one platform can cause so many problems to our technology, economy, safety, and ethically.
Technology will always go to the direction that will make the lives of mankind more convenient and easier. Having a universal integrated social media will certainly look very delightful from this point of view. However, if this convenience will trample upon our privacy and personal security, then we should start to think and hold back into using these technology.
Reference:
What Does Facebook Know About You, http://daylandoes.com/facebook-and-your-data/
