With the advent of modern technology and social media networks, communication has become much easier. However, as Sophocles, a Greek tragedian, once said: “Nothing vast enters the life of mortals without a curse” (The Social Dilemma 00:00:17). The Social Dilemma, a documentary released in 2020 by Netflix, examines the expansion of social media behemoths and the harm they have wrought on society. It concentrates on how the customers are exploited for monetary benefit via global capitalism and data analysis, how it is designed to foster addictive behavior, how it is employed in politics and elections, how it affects mental well-being, and promotes conspiracy theories. Numerous former workers, managers, as well as other experts from leading web companies and social media networks, are interviewed for the movie and share their first-hand insights on what it is like to work for a business in the IT sector. Thus, while social media has made everything simpler, it is a curse in people’s lives, causing suicides, rigged elections, and disseminating fake news and information for personal gain.
The Reasons Tech Companies Are Powerful
Nowadays, it is simple to forget that these platforms have, in truth, produced many good deeds for the world. They were able to reconnect separated relatives and helped connect organ donors and those in need. In other words, these networks led to significant structural changes occurring worldwide. However, people choose to be blind to the other side of social media and how tech giants manipulate them to use their applications.
When it comes to why giant tech companies are becoming more powerful, it lies within luring marketing, expansion, and captivating the attention of the users. The documentary mentions that many technology businesses have three primary objectives. The engagement objective is to increase the use and keep customers browsing. The expansion objective is to keep people returning, introducing as many people as possible and encouraging them to do the same. Then there is the marketing objective, which is to ensure that they earn as much money from marketing as possible while all of this is taking place.
Tristan Harris is a former creative expert at Google who worked at the company on the Gmail project and remembered becoming tired of talking about what the mailbox must look like and what colors would be the best choice. Tristan mentioned that he found it intriguing that nobody at Gmail was attempting to make email less addicting since even Tristan was addicted to it. In 2006, everyone who worked at Facebook had nothing but enthusiasm for Google and the things the company had created, including this helpful tool that apparently strove to make the lives of others simpler while establishing a concurrent money-making engine (The Social Dilemma). Other companies were envious of that since it appeared so flawless and sophisticated. Tim Kendall was recruited to join and determine what marketing strategy would be most suitable for the firm after Facebook had existed for around two years (The Social Dilemma). As director of monetization, he was responsible for choosing how everything should be monetized. In this sense, refining applications and marketing the software leads to more significant numbers of clients and, therefore, monetization, making the process even more potent.
Another reason that serves as an immense contribution to tech companies’ power is the retention of users’ attention. The classic saying is: “If you’re not paying for the product, then you are the product” (The Social Dilemma 00:13:17). Many people believe that Facebook and Google are merely places where they can check what their acquaintances are accomplishing and view their images. However, they are unaware that companies are battling for people’s attention. The business strategy of firms like Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube is to keep users glued to the monitor.
The experts interviewed in the documentary want people to know that every action they take online is being seen, monitored, and evaluated. They are aware of the loneliness or sadness of the client. They are aware when someone is browsing images of their former girlfriend or boyfriend. They are aware of everything, including mental illnesses, and personality types, whether the client is introverted or extroverted. As Joe Toscano mentions, something new will appear at the top of the user’s feed (The Social Dilemma). The feed will show something that will capture individual users’ attention and make them stay on the platform for an extended time. People who work in psychology fields refer to this as intermittent positive reinforcement.
The last reason for obtaining such power is recruiting more clients using other tools. If someone receives an email notifying them that an acquaintance has tagged them in a picture, they will undoubtedly click on the email to view the material (The Social Dilemma). Users cannot just choose to disregard it since it is a psychological trick. The question that proves this argument is why the company does not attach the image to the email since it would be more convenient for the users.
Unintended Consequences of Tech Companies’ Influence
While the sole motivation for companies is to innovate and monetize, there are numerous unintended consequences of tech companies’ influence. First, countless American citizens are entirely dependent on their technological gadgets. It is made worse because owing to technology, anyone can currently isolate themselves and live in a bubble. Fake news is evolving and endangering societies all over the world. When Twitter was founded more than 12 years ago, none of this was in the forecast for the managers (The Social Dilemma). However, many controversial theories have become more popular nowadays, deluding users with theories like flat-earth.
Furthermore, it is often claimed that social media contributes to a child’s depression. Young patients started to seek more plastic surgery to make them look more like filtered photos. Teenagers are becoming so used to cosmetic operations that doctors have named a new syndrome for it, Snapchat dysmorphia. As one parent of the child who could not stop using her phone said: “What was I supposed to do? I mean, every other kid in her class had one” (The Social Dilemma 00:04:48). The girl in the given case was only eleven years old. In this sense, social media influences the mental well-being of adolescents and children due to constantly viewing distorted pictures of their idols or themselves when applying filters. As Edward Tufte said: “There are only two industries that call their customers ‘users’: illegal drugs and software” (The Social Dilemma 00:30:50). Tech companies strive to make people addicted to their platforms at the expense of their naivety.
Hence, even though social media has made life simpler, it is also the bane of people’s existence, contributing to suicides, manipulating elections, and spreading false information for selfish reasons. The appeal of marketing, expansion, and capturing customers’ attention is why big digital businesses are growing more powerful. Consequently, while firms’ only goals are to create and make money, there are many unexpected repercussions of digital companies’ impact, including isolation, the spread of fake material, and the deterioration of consumers’ health.
Work Cited
The Social Dilemma. Directed by Jeff Orlowski, performances by Kara Hayward, Tristan Harris, Barbara Gehring, Vincent Kartheiser, Catalina Garayoa, Skyler Gisondo, and Sophia Hammons, Netflix, 2020.
Classical Music Pioneers: Haydn, Mozart, Albrehc
Joseph Haydn was born on March 31, 1732, in Austria. Haydn’s father was a wheelwright and His mother worked as a cook before she was married. The musician’s career was primarily natured by his cousin, who took notice of his musical gifts and took him in for training (Clark et al. 126). The young man barely six years of age sang in the church choir and also learned to play various musical instruments. He invited him to serve as a chorister in an Austrian Capital church (Clark et al. 132).
His major music works include “Emperor Quartet”,” Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser”, “London Symphonies”, “Military Symphony”, “Surprise Symphony The Creation”, “The Seasons”, and “Deutschlandlied”. After a successful career in music, Haydn died on 31st May 1809 (Jones, 2022).
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Mozart was born on January 27in the year 1756, in Salzburg Austria. His father was a composer and a violinist while his mother worked in a local administration. He composed his first opera when he was 11 years. One outstanding fact about Mozart was that he wrote in all the music genres of his time and was successful in them all (Clark et al. 137). Some of his notable musical works include A Musical Joke, Adagio für Harmonika K. 356, Adagio und Rondo K. 617, and Bastien and Bastienne (Clark et al. 139). He died on 5th December 1791 at the age of 35. His music composition was unique and seemed to interest a particular class of people
Imaginary Classical Composer
Eleanor Albrehc was a classical composer and a big name in the classical music era. The talented classical musician was born in Germany in the year 1758 from a rich family of artistic careers. Her parents enjoyed the privilege of growing up in a loyal family as servants. In their later years, they settled in Bonn, Northwest Germany. She first studied with Haydn and later with Mozart and other composers. Although her work resembled Haydn’s, she struggled with the music she wrote and only managed to have nine symphonies, five piano concertos, 16 string quartets, 32 piano sonatas, and one opera.
One of her major works was considered to be the first romantic classical music. The work features a unique symphonic form in terms of length, harmony, and emotional and cultural content. This particular performance had a thick texture featuring background vocals, orchestration, and countermelodies. It is also twice as long as the symphonies of Haydn which brings out the unique layout of the piece.
Another of her most praised works encompasses a slow tempo and a low pitch with a light texture. It is a unique form of work when compared to her other classical music. The piece was dedicated to her childhood friend who parted ways when she was venturing into her music career. At one point in a music tour, Haydn performed the piece in Munich and Hamburg. This describes their close-knit relationship in their type of music despite having studied together at some point and being natured by the same music masters. After her retirement, she natured young aspiring songwriters and later died in the year 1827, in Vienna Austria.
Works Cited
Clark, Alan N. et al. Understanding Music: Past and Present. University of North Georgia Press, 2015.
Jones, R. (2022). Austrian composer Joseph Haydn in London. Guide London. Web.
American Apparel: The Ethical Conflicts
This study of American Apparel found ethical conflicts such as untimely paying employees, using taboo topics in the community to promote their product, and insults and abuse by supervisors towards rank-and-file employees. Taking a closer look at the problems of bosses’ treatment of rank-and-file employees, it’s worth mentioning that Dov Charney, the company’s CEO, is essentially to blame for the violations. Charney has been accused of sexual harassment of employees and misuse of company money, and there have even been reports of Charney attempting to strangle a company employee.
American Apparel has repeatedly violated ethical marketing rules. Typically, the violations involve using taboo topics, such as sex, or using models without underwear. TIME magazine says that the photograph shows the models as vulnerable and helpless, which is offensive to women and violates the ethical rules of marketing (Haigh, 2020). Also, one model in the photo did not have any underwear under her skirt, which the company’s clients noticed when they viewed the advertisement.
The company’s high salaries and efforts to reduce environmental damage look good for its employees and customers. These steps are relevant when the issue of land conservation and demands to reduce ecological damage are particularly acute. But it also benefits the company in that many employees will be willing to not notice other unethical issues if the latter do not affect them personally.
Dowa Charney, the company’s CEO, has many accusations from employees. A full investigation is needed to prove the former CEO’s guilt and to put him in jail so that he will no longer be a threat to anyone. Charney has no moral standards and is willing to use any method to PR and run the company just to make as much money as possible.
Sex is still a taboo subject in society. Luckily, these days it is slowly being lifted, children are being taught sex education, and parents are being taught how to talk to their children about adult topics. But using such sensitive issues in advertising is still an evil, wrong thing to do. It is a cheap ploy that makes the company look unreliable to partners and, in most cases, will only alienate customers.
There are a large number of methods for publicizing a company. It is important not to cross the line in trying to promote your product, as this will only cause an adverse reaction from society. This line can be explicit photos of models, sexualization of the product, the use of blood, and violence in advertising. American Apparel complies with only 1 out of 5 CSR posts. The company has tried to comply with environmental laws by reducing waste emissions into the environment.
Advertising that will personally encourage me to buy from American Apparel should be minimalist. It’s enough that the clothes sit well on the model because, in the first place, I evaluate how it looks, not who it is. Also, there should not be anything flashy or vulgar, as the company’s former CEO used to do.
During the survey, American Apparel came across as a very negative, uncooperative company. Given the number of ethics violations, cheap product PR techniques, and violations in the company’s internal employee policies, thus I have no desire to buy anything from them. Attempts to attract attention with flashy, shocking advertisements only repel me personally from the company.
Reference
Haigh, M. (2020). How American Apparel is trying to make a comeback after two bankruptcies. CNBC.