Ethics

Social media is a relatively new, yet increasingly prevalent, part of our world. As a result of social media being a newer part of the world there are often issues that arise with it in terms of what exactly is legal and ethical. There are many little things that people aren’t aware of that are technically illegal and unethical. In recent years legal matters involving social media have become more regulated by things like businesses creating specific policies involving social media. These policies dictate what employees are and aren’t allowed to post on social media platforms in regards to their employer and protect companies from confidentiality breeches and other similar issues. Policies of this nature can be difficult to write because it is hard to know where to draw the line; are you being too controlling or not specific enough? One recommendation I found was to keep it simple by merely asking your employees to be professional and trusting that they will use their discretion to post appropriately. In my opinion this is the best route to follow; it is understandable why social media policies are necessary, but making them too restrictive could be frustrating to employees. if you hired an employee then you obviously think highly enough and trust them enough to work for your business, display that trust by creating a simple yet effective policy. 

Forbes created a list that they titled the “5 deadly Sins of Social Media”, which included ethical issues such as unreported endorsements, improper anonymity, compromising customer privacy, overly enthusiastic employees, and using the online community to get free work. These aren’t the only issues to arise within businesses involving social media, but they are certainly some of the most common.  

Many of these issues are specifically geared toward businesses and how they can stay safe from legal and ethical issues, but there are similar issues among individuals too. It is difficult to always know what is legal and ethical, but educating yourself and being skeptical can help. Before reposting or sharing information ensure that it is accurate, and inform others when you know that the information that they have shared on various social media platforms is incorrect. Once we put something on the Internet there is really no way of permanently deleting it; be cautious with what you post.

Sources:

 http://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2011/11/03/ethics-and-the-5-deadly-sins-of-social-media/

https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/ethics-and-social-media-where-should-you-draw-the-line/