Socratic Dialogue - by Jaeyeop Lee

Professor Fuchs and Jenkins are having a conversation in the café. Jenkins seems so excited about all the media cultures like Internet, Google, Youtube, and Facebook. He tells that the world is now going to be full of participation around the whole globe. And all people will enjoy the participation to the global communication and enjoy their sharings of ideas. However, at this moment, Fuchs raise an argument against the Jenkin’s idea about the positive nature of Social media. Rather, he argues that the social media is high exploitation of the consumers and make them to hard labours while they are not noticing it. Furthermore, he argues that there are other people who are painfully working in the actual hardships to get the minerals to run the Internet.

Jenkins: Hey Fuchs, I found Facebook, Youtube, and Google really interesting. People post many different pictures and share their lives with other people. They post videos on Youtube and just say their ideas without limit. Also, they just search on google to find the information they want. We are living in the incredible world.

Fuchs: Well, Jenkins. As you know, the facebook is running by Zuckerburg. He is the one who are getting majority of benefits by advertising on Facebook. People do not know but while they are posting things on Facebook, they are benefitting the advertisers. Moreover, while they are posting pictures and sharing their profiles, the Facebook sells their profile information, social contacts, and browsing behavior to the advertisers. Facebook earns a lot of money by doing that. Moreover, people are just overly exploited while they are under the surveillance of Facebook. Their personal data and online activities are all exposed to Facebook. Even though they could socially engaged, all the information is just visible to Facebook. People are not living a wonderful life of sharing idea. They are just living a life of being exploited under the surveillance of a dominant dictatorship.

Jenkins: Um, that’s not what I was arguing. Is that not exploitation when people are enjoying it? They are sharing what they like, and socially engaged in the actions. Therefore, I don’t think this is exploitation because people are entertained by their activity in Social Media.

Fuchs: Well, you might argue that. However, even if they are enjoying it and not feel it as exploitation, it is exploitation because they are just literally giving profits to the companies like Facebook without getting paid for their action. When they post their pictures, make their profiles, and post walls, Facebook are selling that information to advertising clients. Advertising clients then, with that information, make an advertisement and put the link on the Facebook page so certain viewers can see and select the advertisement. User may buy a product from the advertising company, and the company gains profit from it. This is why I say that people are getting exploited because they are not getting paid for giving their information to Facebook. They are just keep posting things on Social Media. The more they do, the more Facebook and advertising clients get benefit.

Jenkins: Well, I see that. However, I think this argument is not still enough that Facebook and other social media like Google and Youtube are exploiting people. People are still enjoying. I did not see any people not benefitted by using social media.

Fuchs: Actually there are people who are physically exploited to get the minerals to run the Internet. For example, there is a company called Foxconn in China. They are unpaid overtime, exposed to chemicals, and facing the harsh management. They are the slave-like labour used to create iPhone. They are under surveillance of Foxconn. They are forced to obey or leave the company. Once they are on the factory line, they are under pressure. What a military like circumstance. Morever, they are forced to write confession letters and to copy the letter of CEO as their punishments. They are exploited under ‘continuous shifts’ They had to skip their second meal break and go back to work. Also, in the Democratic Republic of Congo, laborers are living under harsh conditions while extracting minerals to make iPhones, because an armed groups are suppressing the local people and deprive the control of mines. The deadly chemicals are also dumped in the local town.  This is why the iPhones, iPads, and iMacs are right to be called as “blood phones,” “blood pads,” and “blood Macs.”

While software engineer at Facebook are payed on average US$ 111,428, and at Google on average of US$103,348, the workers in China or Indonesia are payed only the minimum wage.

Jenkins: …

Fuchs: So, why don’t you change your argument, or bring up with more stronger supports with your argument? I think these evidences are enough to repute against and argument and insist that the Social Media are doing the plantation all over the globe. I will see you later by some chance.