Social media and ethics - it matters.
Social media has the ability to so many great things. One person can reach hundreds in the click of a keyboard. Going viral, someone could reach thousands or millions. We have this powerful technology at our fingertips, giving us a platform to shout into the void and see if anyone is ‘listening.’
Unfortunately, that is not often how it is used. Many times it becomes a bully pulpit, a way to harass others, or a way to spread misinformation. In recent years social media has changed the average person from one who thinks critically but trusts and relies on experts into people who claim this article their son-in-law sent them explains it all, and conspiracy theories abound. It is crippling our society. I admit a little skepticism and constructive criticism can be a good thing, but we have swung so far away from that it is disheartening.
Social media doesn’t have a specific code of ethics for the average user. While professionals might have restrictions and ethical codes placed on them, and journalists have a code of media ethics, the average user doesn’t necessarily have to know or care if they are spreading truthful information or hurtful information.
The importance of ethics is so prominent that we see many famous people losing their clout or even careers over social media flubs. Some famous actors will post opinions or conspiracy theories that upset the fan base and find themselves in hot water. Many ordinary people will find themselves out of a job if their employer gets wind of them posting opinions about politics or current events.
Ethics must be taken incredibly seriously in this day and age, as many common people in America find out when they find themselves out of a job after getting in a heated argument online or posting something offensive as a ‘joke.’
People might say it’s an infringement of their first amendment rights, but the first amendment only protects your ability to say whatever you want, not freedom from the consequences of those words.
I really enjoyed reading your blog and the way that you saw the perspective of social media. It is crazy to think how business aren't using social media in order to expose them selves and reach different customers. It really is one click away so that you can reach different customers because of how easy social media is to handle. It is also very straight forward on making it look professional and providing all the information needed for a customer to look at. This makes it so that anyone can start there own business and market it and at the same time being able to reach as many people as you can. Great Post!
ReplyDeleteHi
ReplyDeleteIm with you and I think you made some great points in your blog. Some people don't realize th power social media actually holds. I have a love hate relationship with social media. I believe it can either be a cure or a blessing to people depending on how they use it. Are you using it to try to make connections or improve in some way. Or are you on social media not really being productive, essentially just wasting your time. This is what came to mind after reading your post.
Hi Krista,
ReplyDeleteYou make great points. Ethics in social media does not have a specific code. And as you stated people use social media as a bully pulpit, so it does not apply to everyone. It is hard to understand why people would go out of their way just to post false or misleading information about something or someone through social media. If there is one thing that stuck out while looking for my information about this week, is ethics and social media should make it a point to avoid misleading or false information.