Revolution of 2016/Socio-economic issues/eo
Exploitation of staff and volunteers [by WMF]
Another view might concentrate on other features considered common to "high-tech" companies such as toxic work environments, lack of diversity, overemphasis on engineering versus other disciplines, disconnection from users' needs, and a laser-focus on achieving profits at the expense of long-term thinking. This view associates "high-tech" with social and economic inequality and exploitation of employees and users for their labor & attention to the detriment of their physical and emotional health.
You mentioned the "exploitation of employees and users for their labor" in your email, and I'm glad you did, because that's almost never discussed. It was in part why there was such a strong reaction to the misunderstanding about the Knowledge Engine. We had visions of the Foundation trying to create yet another unpaid workforce to "curate" search results.
2. Recognizing that there are questions about exploitation and addiction that should be discussed, and that these are serious ethical and perhaps even public-health issues.
Unpaid workforce
1. Recognizing that we are an unpaid workforce.
The topic of unpaid labor -- and exploiting addictive behaviors -- is a general one with free and open source software specifically, as well as user generated content generally, and I agree it deserves a lot more thought.
Dependeco
2. Recognizing that there are questions about exploitation and addiction that should be discussed, and that these are serious ethical and perhaps even public-health issues.
The topic of unpaid labor -- and exploiting addictive behaviors -- is a general one with free and open source software specifically, as well as user generated content generally, and I agree it deserves a lot more thought.
I would love to see the WMF agree never again to discuss trapping editors in feedback loops intended to keep them editing, but instead to help them plan and monitor their interactions with Wikimedia sites. Another idea is for opt-in software that asks how you're feeling every few hours – "Are you feeling angry? Is it time for a break?" – or when you log out: "How did your interactions today make you feel?" Questions could be asked that would be useful to the WMF in its gender-gap, anti-harassment and other initiatives (once the data is anonymized).
I've never, ever seen the WMF (or any other Wikimedia community or organization) suggest trapping editors in feedback loops. Wanting community members to stay (or finding out why they're leaving) is not "trapping" anyone.