One would think that social media denizens would at least get tired of berating tech companies for their missteps online.
Tech companies are commonly understood to be the business standard-bearers of the 21st century, and one of the less than satisfactory characteristics they have carried over from previous titans of industry is an overabundance of ethical issues. It seems as if every other day another high-profile CEO makes a gender-related faux pas or another social media platform gets too political.
The public should reevaluate and redirect their online overreaction to these now-commonplace occurrences.
Sure, Travis Kalanick’s misogynist bro-culture and mishandled apologies at Uber are something to be angry about, and startups like Juicero and Theranos deserve criticism for misleading investors and actively engaging in fraudulent activities. But, social media users can accomplish much more than they currently do in spending too much of their time lambasting these companies for what they have done.
Verbal outrage in the face of these companies accomplishes very little, as they simply make too much money to really care about how people feel about them online.
For example, posting about Facebook’s dealings with corruption-minded advertisers during the 2016 election accomplishes little. The post itself almost assuredly does bring new information to the public sphere and only adds more ad-viewing traffic on Facebook’s site.
Bemoaning Amazon’s assault on retail with multiple Prime shipments on the way accomplishes nothing.
Even the stock market seldom responds to online outrage. A recent Bloomberg report found that social media content are often the sources of fake news. This means information is quickly discounted because of the falsities surrounding social media news content.
Tech companies are not unique in their indifference toward issues that do not directly affect their bottom lines. Recent examples of questionable corporate ethics include
Simply chastising gigantic corporations is not enough. If the public is truly incensed by the meddling of tech companies, it has to change its behaviors.
While human beings are admittedly creatures of habit, it is possible for people to change their online presences and preferences in order to make statements of discontent to companies that commit egregious wrongs.
Campaigns like #DeleteUber are effective in getting a company’s attention by striking it at the bottom line. Much like dealing with schoolyard bullies, denying attention to the culprit is the best way to influence them to change their ways.
Refraining from Facebook or Uber may seem like inviable options, especially for those that have fostered routines around the usage of each. But, if a stance is to be taken against these companies’ misconduct, habit-changing actions will literally accomplish more than words.
A post is just another voice yelling into the void. Tangible action affecting a company’s bottom line is the only way to hold these companies accountable for their actions.
Jonah Baker can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @jonahpbaker