By: Jason Cho
Introduction
- Ethical use in social media means taking responsibility for any content you post or share and ensuring that it is accurate rather than misleading.
- Social media plays a massive role in today's society whether people use it for good or bad.
- Ethical use of social media is a significant topic for discussion because social media is the king of today's world.
Privacy Concerns
Certain privacy concerns that social media brings up are:
- Data mining
- Cyberbullying
- False/Misinformation
- Malware
Data mining is an issue because hackers can easily collect personal information about you within a short period.
They can also contain sensitive and unauthorized information, resulting in misuse or leaks of personal information.
Cyberbullying is another common privacy concern because if people on the internet manage to obtain personal data on you they will do nasty things.
Also, these people will be ruthless with their words and absolutely go off on anyone if provoked.
This behavior is motivated by the safety these people feel when talking behind their screens.
Misinformation on the internet is a very common occurrence and a lot of people will talk about the same subject but say completely different things.
Lastly, malware is a very important issue because of its frequency and its threat level. Downloadable content that looks
completely safe can be devastating.
This thought makes many very paranoid about doing anything on the internet.
Mental Health Impacts
Research has shown that social media can often cause depression, anxiety, and other health issues. Although everything is online people still compare themselves to others and they become self-conscious
about everything about themselves. Another negative is, that many people have become addicted to social media and their feeds because they need to dopamine rush to soothe their short attention span craving.
Despite all of these negatives, the positives of social media can outweigh that of the negatives. Social media can help connect us with people that share our interests.
Furthermore, companies and job scouts can find and learn about all of your accolades using social media. Social media can also give connections that can be life-changing.
Spread of Information
Social Media has a lot of wrongly spread misinformation. Whether it's purposely spread or not it is and it's a problem.
Many naive individuals on the internet will believe anything they see or hear on social media.
Although, some of the information may be true, research has shown that over 50 percent of news spread on social media is fake
because many will spread news just for clout or popularity. To combat this, many users encourage spreading research backed information and standing up for what is right.
Social Relationships and Community
Social media can help develop connections and relationships to people that you can understand and relate to.
However, it can also connect you with people that you do not relate to and it can leave many feeling
depressed and isolated. To ensure everyone gets the best they can we should respect anyone we meet online.
Personal Reflection
I do not use social media often seeing as though I only have Instagram and I only use it 5 minutes a day.
Nevertheless, I can apply these ethics in social media to my regular life and any social media
I use in the future. I can treat others as I would want to be treated and I can be wary of any threats when I click any links or use the internet at all.
Conclusion
After what I have researched, I believe that if everyone followed social media ethics our community and world
be a much better place. I would reccomend that for anyone that is going to post or comment on something in social media,
think about it first and ensure it is positive for everyone.