Social Media Comms Blog 3 Ethics
The current state of social media ethics: what trends are happening in the industry? What are two current cases related to social media ethics? Outline the current code of ethics for social media by a professional organization you would be interesting in joining as part of their social media staff.
One current trend in social media ethics is corporate accountability for decisions that put profit and growth above safety. An example of this is the case of Facebook whistleblower, former Facebook product manager Frances Haugen who in 2021 disclosed tens of thousands of pages of internal Facebook documents to Congress and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that showed that Facebook is often aware of the harm that it contributes—but nothing is done to lessen that harm if it inhibits growth or profit. (Perrigo, 2021)
Facebook’s own internal research provided by Haugen showed that 13.5% of teen girls said Instagram worsens suicidal thoughts and 17% of teen girls say that Instagram contributes to their eating disorders. (Bond, Allyn, 2021)
Another trend in social media ethics is the fight against misinformation. Specifically, the fight against political misinformation, which is an ongoing issue, and currently the US midterm elections in two weeks. It is mostly activist groups that are publicly expressing their fears regarding misinformation and disinformation on social media platforms. In a letter sent recently to the CEOs of Meta, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube signed by more than 60 groups that concentrate on issues such as abortion rights, women's rights, LGBTQ rights, voting rights, anti-racism, and tech accountability. Some of the groups included are the National Organization of Women, GLAAD and the Global Justice Center. They are concerned that social media companies are still failing to protect candidates, voters, and elected officials from disinformation, misogyny, racism, transphobia, and violence. The letter demands platforms take down false information, hate speech, threats against candidates and election workers. (Gold, 2022)
Foreign state-sponsored actors are also very likely to conduct "malign influence operations" targeting the U.S. to sway perceptions of the elections. (Gold, 2022)
The misinformation being spread over the past few years has given rise to calls from fringe groups for "vigilante" actions at ballot boxes and polling stations. Two people were seen last week lingering in tactical gear near a drop-box in Mesa, Arizona. Actions such as this seem to be blatant attempts at voter intimidation which I personally thought I would never have to witness in my lifetime. I feel that actions such as this will only increase as the midterm election date gets closer. (Gold, 2022)
One organization whose social media team I would enjoy being a part of is the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). They have a well thought out social media code of ethics. Social media is a vital part of VA’s efforts to better communicate with Veterans by providing important and up-to-date information while receiving real-time feedback, improving transparency, and encouraging public engagement. Social media tools enable widely dispersed facilities and VA staff to share information more effectively with Service members, Veterans, caregivers, Veteran Service Organizations (VSO), and survivors.
At the present time the VA defines the social media used by the organization as:
Social Networking Sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.)
Blogs (including VA official use and non-official or personal use blogs, as well as comments)
Video and Photo Sharing Websites (Instagram, YouTube, Flickr, etc.)
Forums and Discussion Boards (non-official and personal use of Slack, Discord, etc.)
Podcasts
XML and RSS Feeds
Ideation Programs (IdeaScale, IdeaFactory, etc.)
Online Information Repositories and Encyclopedias for both official use (e.g., Max.gov) and nonofficial or personal use (e.g., Wikipedia)
Emerging or new technology identified as social media by General Services Administration’s DigitalGov.gov website to help Government workers deliver a better customer experience to citizens.
Things that the VA does not allow on any of its official social media are:
Spam
Clearly off topic content
Advocating any illegal activity
Promoting a particular service, product, or political organization
Infringement on copyrights or trademarks
Content containing unauthorized release of VA Sensitive Data
Any content that clearly violates VA Privacy Policy
VA employees are expected to take appropriate action on public submissions that contain vulgar language, personal attacks of any kind, offensive comments, libel, sensitive data and other inappropriate content. Appropriate action may include hiding or deleting content that contain such language. Threats may be referred to VA Police, self-harm talk or ideation may referred to the Veterans Crisis Line, others may be referred to the Veterans Experience Office or the appropriate VA Office. VA employees taking appropriate action must use discretion when taking this action. Coordinators and Moderators will resolve valid complaints received on social media accounts. If complaints cannot be resolved directly by coordinators or moderators, they will be elevated to the appropriate organization for resolution. (Veterans Administration, 2022)
Brands/professionals with strong social media ethical codes: what brands are utilizing proper social media ethical practices? Are there any professionals that you feel practice strong ethical behavior on social media? Support your choice with evidence. What are some takeaways you can bring forth in your own practices?
I believe the Hasbro toy company based in Pawtucket, RI is utilizing proper social media ethical practices. They were recognized as one of the most ethical companies in the world by Ethisphere, a global leader in defining and advancing the standards of ethical business practices, consecutively, for the past 11 years. Some of the areas evaluated include business ethics and compliance, ethical sourcing and human rights, environmental sustainability, and social impact across global communities. (Businesswire, 2022)
When I view Hasbro’s various social media, I am aware that they obviously are trying to sell their products to children. I do not see marketing that I would consider exploitative, or a blatant cash grab trying to sell the products no matter what the impact on children. Hasbro seems to know that its target audience, children, need to be treated with more care and consideration than an adult target audience.
A quote from Hasbro’s CEO reinforced that message, “As a global company with multi-generational brands that engage and delight consumers, we know we have a responsibility to act as a force for good,” said Chris Cocks, Chief Executive Officer at Hasbro.” (Businesswire, 2022)
Hasbro has used its social media platform for charitable reasons that have helped many children. Hasbro has a program called Toybox Tools which is in collaboration with the Autism Project, provides resources for parents of children with autism with tools and strategies to help those children get the best experience possible with Hasbro toys. (Hasbro, 2022)
Some takeaways I get from Hasbro are to remain true and relevant to your original core target audience. Also, companies need to give back to their communities in order to stay connected. A company needs to give back to its community and encourage others to do the same when it has a large social media presence.
Key concepts and issues: what main concepts do you are necessary to adhere to for your own personal conduct online?
Authenticity- the public will respond positively if you are sincere. Whenever I see or hear someone online acting “fake” it is annoying to me and I will usually turn it off. I would have to stay authentic because it takes too much time and energy to fake it. Transparency- having hidden agendas will only come back in a negative way. This is very similar to the authenticity concept. Overall tone is very important too. Being respectful of others and not getting caught up in negativity I think, contributes to a better online experience.
What to do and what not to do: what main concepts do you feel strongly against and want to make sure you avoid on social media?
As far as my own conduct online, my biggest rule I follow is to remember that anything that is put online will be there forever. I do not get political online. I do not want to engage in misappropriation. I would never post anything with inappropriate content. If you want to make your living on social media or represent an important brand online, it is a bad idea to have a history of controversial or divisive content out there. Careers have been ruined because of a careless Facebook post or a Tweet. Also, online threatening and bullying are just distasteful to me personally, so I would not engage in that.
Bullet point 5-10 core concepts that you will follow as a practicing social media professional. Include citations that you used for sources/supports for this.
Maintaining trust is the key to keeping your audience.
Clearly define proper etiquette for all employees.
Transparency builds authority.
Remember that actions have ripple effects.
(Businessethicsresourcecenter.org, 2022)
Don’t exploit people’s emotions.
Don’t compromise user data. (White, 2022)
Works Cited
Perrigo, B. (2021, November 22). Why whistleblower Frances Haugen decided to take on Facebook. Time. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://time.com/6121931/frances-haugen-facebook-whistleblower-profile/
Bond, S., & Allyn, B. (2021, October 5). Whistleblower tells Congress that facebook products harm kids and democracy. NPR. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2021/10/05/1043207218/whistleblower-to-congress-facebook-products-harm-children-and-weaken-democracy
Gold, A. (2022, October 26). Groups demand crackdown on online misinformation ahead of midterms. Axios. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.axios.com/2022/10/26/midterm-misinformation-social-media-big-tech-elections
Team, V. A. I. T. S. C. (n.d.). VA web governance. VA Information Technology. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.va.gov/web/standards/social-media.cfm
Hasbro recognized as one of world's most ethical companies for the 11th consecutive year. Business Wire. (2022, March 15). Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220315005334/en/
Five principles for avoiding ethics pitfalls on Social Media. Business Ethics Resource Center. (2020, February 27). Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.businessethicsresourcecenter.org/five-principles-for-ethical-social-media/
White, M. (n.d.). Social Media Ethics. The Creative Momentum . Atlanta Top Web Design Firm. Retrieved October 30, 2022, from https://www.thecreativemomentum.com/blog/social-media-marketing-ethics
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