ETHICS OF THE INTERNET

Ethics of the Internet



Ethics of the Internet

Summary of the Research

Ethics are formalized directions or guidelines of an association, institution, a society or a system such as internet. Ethical decisions are founded on a set of core values that are codified. Therefore, it can be argued that ethics is the development of a system that serves to defend a person or assemblies centre values. This paper first explores ethics as they apply to internet and its emergent technologies and presents approaches that need to be reflected in internet use. Further, the paper discusses the issues of blind playing (such as in chat rooms and e-mails) and the responsibility of users and internet providers in guarding against ethical misconduct. Finally, the paper discusses why ethical principles are needed at individual, institutional, societal and global levels.

Ethics of the Internet

Good etiquette requires a delicate balance between openness and discretion, and Internet etiquette is no exception (Almond 1995). The internet revolution holds influence on every walk of life. Internet is not just a means of information; it is used for entertainment by people as well. Now, internet facilitates e-marketing, e-business, e-education, e-counseling, social networking and many others. However, in this increasing use, there are stories of internet deception, internet fraud, cyber crime etc (Christians 2000). The element of ethics is at many places disregarded. There is therefore a profound need to develop a consensus ethical framework for the use of internet.

There is no doubt that the emergence of new social networking tools has created new opportunities for using the internet to write about work - and new opportunities for researchers. Twitter, a type of 'microblogging', has experienced rapid growth in the last few years (McCarthy, 2009). Twitter posts or 'tweets', which are limited to 140 characters or less, may present intriguing opportunities for covert workplace reporting or organising. 'Tweets' are generally publicly available, allowing relatively easy access by researchers. However, the 140-character limit somewhat compromises the reflective and literary quality enabled by the conventional blog format. Social networking technologies such as Facebook have also risen to prominence, privatising and de-anonymising internet communication.

By June 2009, 200 million people, about a fifth of all internet users, were subscribed to. Communication on Facebook, which has been referred to as a 'second internet', is non-searchable by Google and takes place among a closed network of people who are considered 'friends' and granted access by the accountholder. The norm of Facebook communication is that one uses one's real name: 'replacing the largely anonymous “no one knows you're a dog” version of online identity with one in which every action is tied to who you are' (Vogelstein, 2009). With respect to the prospects for candour in writing, the privacy of the space may mitigate the lack of anonymity. For the researcher, however, the primary obstacles are identifying accounts of interest, first of all, and then gaining full access to them.

Once other people become depersonalized in our minds, we lose sight of our ethical obligations to ...