Social Networking has some general inescapable ethical concerns such as:
- Connecting people can be positive but it can also lead people into forming harmful relationships and connections. Cyber-bulling or trolling is a sad phenomenon and every effort should be made to avoid harassment of other users.
- Users have a right to privacy but in general privacy is a troublesome area which social networking sites have yet to come to a uniform decision about. With an image posted online or information users give, do they have a right to control this or is it acceptable for this information willingly given to be exploited freely.
- Are Social Networking sites fair? Are they egalitarian? Or are they in fact favouring a certain type of person and behaviour (mainly white, literate and from developed nations).
- By giving a user a certain amount of anonymity will they be more direct and harsh about reviewing a venue. Creating distance from face-to-face communication we may be weakening honesty and openness but most important patience and negotiation.
References
Scu.edu, (2015). Unavoidable Ethical Questions About Social Networking. [online] Available at: http://www.scu.edu/ethics/publications/submitted/social-networking.html [Accessed 22 Apr. 2015].
