Ethics of the attention economy: The problem of social media addiction

VR Bhargava, M Velasquez�- Business Ethics Quarterly, 2021 - cambridge.org
Business Ethics Quarterly, 2021cambridge.org
Social media companies commonly design their platforms in a way that renders them
addictive. Some governments have declared internet addiction a major public health
concern, and the World Health Organization has characterized excessive internet use as a
growing problem. Our article shows why scholars, policy makers, and the managers of social
media companies should treat social media addiction as a serious moral problem. While the
benefits of social media are not negligible, we argue that social media addiction raises�…
Social media companies commonly design their platforms in a way that renders them addictive. Some governments have declared internet addiction a major public health concern, and the World Health Organization has characterized excessive internet use as a growing problem. Our article shows why scholars, policy makers, and the managers of social media companies should treat social media addiction as a serious moral problem. While the benefits of social media are not negligible, we argue that social media addiction raises unique ethical concerns not raised by other, more familiar addictive products, such as alcohol and cigarettes. In particular, we argue that addicting users to social media is impermissible because it unjustifiably harms users in a way that is both demeaning and objectionably exploitative. Importantly, the attention-economy business model of social media companies strongly incentivizes them to perpetrate this wrongdoing.
Cambridge University Press