“The Facebook Dilemma” Covered by PBS’s Frontline highlights the varied impacts the organization has had on society. The documentaries emphasize the role Facebook played in shaping global politics, the impacts the organization has had on privacy, and the societal divisions the organization has caused. The PBS film continues to further analyze Facebook’s evolution from a platform to connect family and friends to an organization of controversy and conflict, raising questions about its influence on the modern democracy. Despite Facebook’s mission of openness and connection, Facebook’s business model is extremely reliant on data collection and advertising revenue, leading to conflicts of and ethical dilemmas regarding the privacy of Facebook users.
The documentary emphasizes Facebook, and owner Mark Zuckerberg’s, extreme influence on political discourse, activism, international politics, as well as domestic politics. PBS illustrates how Facebooks has been utilized by governments such as Russia in the 2014 Ukrainian conflict, political operatives, and malicious actors to incite violence and spread misinformation to further their own goals. This poses the dangerous question, what is to stop Facebook from doing the same? PBS Frontline reporters move on to cover that despite warnings from stakeholders, Facebook’s dismissiveness and delayed responses underscore the organization’s inability to be accountable and act in a socially responsible manner, as emphasized by the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The PBS documentary’s analysis emphasizes the great need for improved transparency from Facebook, and in the modern day Zuckerberg’s further companies such as Instagram, in order to stem the negative consequences his organizations can have on society, democracies, and individuals. The analysis provided by PBS raises a critical question about the importance of addressing ethical and societal impacts organizations running amuck in the manner that they have been allowed. Only when laws disallowing the sale of personal information become more stringent, clear, and well enforced will we see an improvement in ethics.
