Week 6 Blog - Ethical Use of Social Media

Social media and its multitude of platforms is reshaping the current social world, rewriting the rules in which social engagement occurs, and the manner in which information is shared and collected. As a result, ethical use of social media has become a controversial topic with no clear consensus that has emerged.

Ethical Use of Social Media for the Purpose of Research

When researching the topic concerning ethical use of social media, I came across several articles discussing the appropriate use of social media for the purpose of research. For example, a study by Bagdasorov et al., (2017) suggests that social media and people’s perceptions of ethics do share a relationship in that the mere exposure to ethical violations is enough to produce awareness in individuals regarding ethical issues. Although organizations are increasingly relying on social media analytics (SMA) to derive business value, an article by Michaelidou & Micevski (2019) suggests that his has also raised concern regarding the practice of ethical care. Results of their study suggest unfavorable ethical perceptions of SMA practices and low trustworthiness by users of social media leads to perceived risk of sharing information, unwillingness to reveal information, falsification of information, and taking actions against organizations (Michaelidou & Micevski, 2019). However, the study also found that perceived benefits moderate the relationship between perceived risk of sharing information and outcomes, such that users of social media were more likely to share personal information inf the benefits outweighed the risks (Michaelidou & Micevski, 2019). On a similar note regarding the benefits of social media use, a study by Hajli (2018) found that social media sights (i.e., TripAdvisor) can also facilitate an ethical environment via word-of-mouth and therefore can become a credible source for assisting individuals with decision-making capabilities. Regarding traditional research practices, a study by Moreno et al., (2013) discusses the challenges Institutional Review Boards (IRBs) have when reviewing research protocols involving social media websites and provides key considerations when conducting observational, interactive, and survey/interview research.           

Legislation

While various articles have provided recommendations for appropriate and ethical use of social media (e.g., engaging in academic research and business practices), it seems that no clear consensus has emerged. However, privacy in the digital era has become a big concern and government entities are starting to enact legislation to improve protection for internet users. For example, the European Union passed and implemented the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in 2018, and is considered a landmark legislation for preventing the widespread use of personal information for monetary gain by organizations without the full understanding or consent of those individuals involved. The United States is following suit in approving a similar law known as the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 (CCPA), expected to go into effect January 1, 2020. Like the GDPR, the CCPA is intended to strengthen consumer protections including the use of data collected by social media and other internet services. Considering most internet platform providers are located in California (e.g., Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.), this law stands to effectively govern consumer data protection nationwide as well as most programmatic advertising platforms.

Why is this important? Social media sites often require consumers to give access to potentially sensitive data in order to have privileges and access to common features of their platforms (e.g., email and engagement with others on the site). However, social media platforms often generate profit and revenue by selling consumer data that is stored, sold, packaged and distributed across first and third-party entities that intend to use this information for ad targeting and content personalization. Prior to the CCPA, there has been relatively no oversight or regulation to govern the storage, sharing, and distribution of consumer data! Moreover, it has been difficult for consumers to even control data on themselves, including the ability to know what has been stored or know who has been granted access to it! Starting in 2020, the CCPA provides individuals the ability to take a more active role in monitoring and protecting their personal information. According to Stoltz (2019), key provisions include the following: (1) Businesses must inform consumers of their intent to collect personal information, (2) Consumers have the right to know what personal information a company has collected, where the data came from, how it will be used, and with whom it’s shared, (3) Consumers have the right to prevent businesses from selling their personal information to third parties, (4) Consumers can request businesses to remove the personal information that the business has on them, and (5) Businesses are prohibited from charging consumers different prices or refusing service, even if the consumer exercised their privacy rights.

Of course, compliance will always be an issue, and there will always be those who look for savvy ways or loopholes to continue doing what they want. However, at least there are regulations starting to be established that prevent taking advantage of internet users, and it is a step in the right direction. If anything, Thompson (2019) suggests the future of ethics in the digital age should follow basic golden rule of protecting others’ data as you would your own, recommending that we all should strive to abide by laws and regulations, ensure people’s data are being used with their consent, and refuse to do unto others what you would not want done to yourself. For more information regarding the differences between the GDPR and CCPA, click on the following YouTube link by Daniels (2019):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU-o9ghQ9S4&t=1068s

A Matter of Security

While government legislature is starting to recognize the need to protect the privacy of internet users, Lonstein (2019) also asserts an issue at hand regarding social media platforms is the need for upholding matters of security. According to Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996, “no provider or user of an interactive computer services shall be treated as the publisher or speaker of any information provided by another information content provider” (47 U.S.C. § 230). Although the law was originally intended to protect companies from liability for content uploaded by others, this has also caused the challenge of social media platforms in providing billions of user’s instant connection while also balancing the risk of criminality, misinformation, and other dangerous acts that occur in real time.

As Lonstein (2019) asserts, if it’s our civic responsibility to report potential crimes or threats, then why does this not apply to online behavior?  Although it may not be social media platforms’ responsibility to be the authorities on what content should be constituted as offensive, threatening, or dangerous, perhaps social media platforms should be more willing to work with police task forces and collaborate in an ethical manner. According to Lonstein (2019), two primary methods for social media to address the issue of upholding security with authorities in an ethical manner include: (1) allowing police to monitor social media just like they walk down a sidewalk looking for crime, and (2) allow rights owners to freely access social media to detect and remediate piracy, counterfeiting and diversion of their property on social media.

It is important to realize that online social media activity is instant and global. While nations may differ regarding what is appropriate, laws regarding ethical standards of online social media use are necessary to discuss, especially as it relates to how social media companies can protect the privacy of its users without hindering the legitimate patrolling of security matters that take place on their platforms.   

Summary

As Kelly (2016) suggests, “vanity trumps privacy” (p. 262) and, “if today’s social media has taught us anything about ourselves as a species, it is that the human impulse to share overwhelms the human impulse for privacy” (p. 262). However, our personal obsession with sharing doesn’t necessarily mean it comes without consequences. As Singer and Brooking (2018) caution, although every act on social media is both personal and global, we all still possess the power of choice. Moreover, we must all be mindful that the intent of most online content is to influence and manipulate us, and because of this, we must have an ethic of responsibility to protect each other in order to provide a safer environment to interact within a digital and global world (Singer & Brooking, 2018). Perhaps this is the reason why Westerman, Bonnet, and McAfee (2014) recommend the need for digital governance in organizations via the mechanisms of shared digital units, governance committees, and digital leadership roles. However, I do find it encouraging that government legislature is now realizing the need to protect the privacy and rights of internet users and establish regulations on what is considered to be ethical use of social media.

References

Bagdasarov, Z., Martin, A., Chauhan, R., & Connelly, S. (2017). Aristotle, Kant, and …Facebook? A look at the implications of social media on ethics. Ethics & Behavior, 27(7), 547-561.

Daniels, J. (May, 2019). Explain like I’m five: GDPR updates & CCPA. YouTube. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LU-o9ghQ9S4&t=1096s

Hajli, N. (2018). Ethical environment in the online communities by information credibility: A social media perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 149(4), 799-810.

Kelley, K. (2016). The inevitable: Understanding the 12 technological forces that will shape our future. New York: NY: Penguin Random House LLC

Lonstein, W. (Jan 2, 2019). Social media’s path forward: Why it has a responsibility to uphold security. Forbes. Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/01/02/social-medias-path-forward-why-it-has-a-responsibility-to-uphold-security/#13f623e63883

Michaelidou, N., & Micevski, M. (2019). Consumers’ ethical perceptions of social media analytics practices: Risks, benefits and potential outcomes. Journal of Business Research, 104, 576-586.

Moreno, M. A., Goniu, N., Moreno, P. S., & Douglas, D. (2013). Ethics of social media research: Common concerns and practical considerations. Cyberpsychology, Behavior and Social Networking, 16(9), 708-713.

Singer, P. W. & Brooking, E. T. (2018). LikeWar: The weaponization of social media. New York: NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

Thomson, J. (Jul 1, 2019). Ethics in the digital age: Protect others’ data as you would your own. Forbes.

Retrieved from: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffthomson/2019/07/01/ethics-in-the-digital-age-protect-others-data-as-you-would-your-own/#24548fc454e1

Westerman, G., Bonnet, D., & McAfee, A. (2014). Leading digital: Turning technology into business transformation. Boston: MA: Harvard Business Review Press