THE ETHICAL ISSUES RAISED BY EDUCATIONAL AND BUSINESS USES OF SOCIAL MEDIA
As the UK leapfrogs into the top 10 “best connected” countries in the world (Kelion, 2013), social media is understandably soaring as the favoured medium for company marketing. However, to quote Spiderman: âwith great power come great responsibilityâ, and businesses must exist online to the publicâs own interpretation of ethicality, and if they donât, theyâll know about it!
It can be challenging for businesses, especially large corporations, to monitor the content employees post while representing them online to a global audience â and this is where ethical issues often raise their ugly heads. The Institute of Business Ethics published a briefing to raise awareness of these ethical challenges that social media presents for companies. The briefing categorises these issues into 4 sections, which I have summarised in the spider diagram below:
A recent report from the Ethical Resource Centre is one of the first to explore the reciprocal power between ethics and social media in the workplace – and it produced some fascinating results! âSocial networking has become very important in our culture, and we wondered if the technology is influencing employeesâ views about ethics at work,â Harned explains. Like me, I can imagine most of you didn’t expect such a stark difference between the tolerance for activities that are considered unethical (see image below.) Could social media really be muddling with employeesâ ethical compasses? This evidence suggests so. I think itâs time for companies to wake up, smell the coffee and implement professional social networking policies to ensure they are represented ethically online.
The proliferation of social media also influences educational practices. The use of social media in the classroom is growing as teachers begin to use YouTube, Twitter and blogs as tools to provide interactivity and new ways of learning â exemplified perfectly in this curriculum innovation module. Pearson Education report that 59 percent of teachers surveyed agreed that the interactive nature of online technologies create better learning environments for pupils. However, just as businesses face ethical challenges online, so does educational social media. Issues exist regarding individualâs privacy, maintaining a private space online for free and open discussion, the integrity of student submissions and maintaining professional barriers between student and teacher relations. Similarly, as Harris and Beale (2012) posit, social media use in higher education (specifically at live events) can isolate individuals who are not active social networkers from discussions taking place on online platforms.
Iâve included a slideshow I created of the Independentâs top 10 twitter blunders of 2013 below. They are great examples of the damaging effects unethical social networking can have on businesses and politicians, and should act as a reminder for our own online brand maintenance â enjoy!
Business Ethics Briefing,  2011 The Ethical Challenges of Social Media: The Institute of Business Ethics [Online] Available at:https://www.ibe.org.uk/userassets/briefings/ibe_briefing_22_the_ethical_challenges_of_social_ media.pdf [Accessed: 23 March 2014]
Harris, L. and Beale, N., 2012 , If you donât have social media, you are no one: How social media enriches conferences for some but risks isolating others London School of Economics and Political Science impact blog [blog], 23 May Available at < http://blogs.lse.ac.uk/impactofsocialsciences/2012/05/23/social-media-enrich-but-isolate/> [Accessed 23 March 2014].
Kelion, L. 2013, UK jumps up internet scoreboard as digital divide grows. BBC News: Technology, [online] 7 October. Available at:< http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-24426739> [Accessed 23 March 2014]
Lauby, S., 2012. Ethics and Social Media: Where should you draw the line? mashable.com [blog] 17 March. Available at: <http://mashable.com/2012/03/17/social-media-ethics/> [Accessed 23 March 2014].
