Hi, my name is Choi from Dr. Markman’s class. Your blog was recommended by Dr. Markman, so that I am here to leave some comments. Very interesting point. As a wannabe scholar who is interested in social media research, I noticed that the issue of ethic pops up in various disciplines, such as business, law, and psychology, in a form of cyberbullying. Especially, cyberbullying has been a serious issue in may native country South Korea, causing many celebrities and teenagers to commit suicides.
I certainly agree with your point that ethical standards should not be separated between digital and non-digital life. The golden rule should be that, if you would not do a certain action in real life, you should not do that in virtual life. Although we tend to see many cases that people commit unthinkable things by hiding behind of their virtual identities, I believe that cyber ethic will be formulated and shared among network members eventually. Of course that progressive effort to recognize the boundary between ethical and unethical actions must be continued, so that network members can be continuously educated and share same value system, such as ethical standards.
Hello Choi,
Thank you for your comment.
I believe that a multicultural backgrounds like yours and mine(I was born and raised in Argentina) are excellent to ponder the implications of cyber ethics. Websites are generally accessible from anywhere in the world, so they provide the setting for cultural clashes that range from respectful and thought provoking to shameless and destructive.
The idea that you and I put simply as “not doing online what you wouldn’t do in real life (IRL)” has to be reevaluated when two people have different views on what they should or shouldn’t do IRL. One simple example is that of illegal music distribution. In Argentina it is very common to see CD vendors on the side of the street selling obviously pirated music. However, here in the States, I have never seen somebody openly distributing copied music.
I hope to hear from you in future posts!
My position on ethics with digital media are ever-evolving. I didn’t grow up with all of this technology, and I have not historically felt that the same rigorous ethical standards would apply as would in face-to-face communication. Case-in-point: you referenced the question “is online flirting with someone other than your spouse acceptable?” Before, I would have said “absolutely.” Why not? It’s a (almost) meaningless – a fantasy, not reality – collection of words on a computer (or phone etc.). However, my thoughts are beginning to change as digital media are more & more incorporated into our lives. I know people in a serious romantic relationship who (by far) communicate more via text, Twitter, & FB than by phone or in person. (They are in a long distance relationship; however, the text is preferred to the phone in many cases.) Most people that I communicate with now are more likely to receive a text, email or IM than a phone call. (I too am removed from a lot of face-to-face contact due to geography; however, the trend to communicate through technology is becoming more a part of the fabric of our culture & an indication of our communication preferences. To me, this begs the question, how meaningless or based in fantasy vs. reality are those words we type? I have not decided yet if cyber flirting is the same as in-person flirting, but I am thinking about it differently.
Hello Heidi,
Thanks for your input. Makes total sense for people’s view on ethics and digital media to evolve as they encounter new situations. Your words echo my thoughts. From my part, the idea of online flirting is deeply tied to our delusion that what happens online (or over the phone) is less real than what happens in our physical surroundings. I believe it is part of a process of desensitization as we become more detached from the consequences of our actions. As Choi previously mentioned bullying, I will use it as an example. If a teenager made a demeaning comment to a classmate in school s/he had to deal with the reactions from the victim and those nearby. As the same comment is made through digital media, the bully doesn’t have to see reactions, yet the consequence for the person on the receiving end is just as hurtful. So, is it maybe lack of feedback that leads to a lessened self monitoring of our actions?
Looks like you got it to work!
Hi, my name is Choi from Dr. Markman’s class. Your blog was recommended by Dr. Markman, so that I am here to leave some comments. Very interesting point. As a wannabe scholar who is interested in social media research, I noticed that the issue of ethic pops up in various disciplines, such as business, law, and psychology, in a form of cyberbullying. Especially, cyberbullying has been a serious issue in may native country South Korea, causing many celebrities and teenagers to commit suicides.
I certainly agree with your point that ethical standards should not be separated between digital and non-digital life. The golden rule should be that, if you would not do a certain action in real life, you should not do that in virtual life. Although we tend to see many cases that people commit unthinkable things by hiding behind of their virtual identities, I believe that cyber ethic will be formulated and shared among network members eventually. Of course that progressive effort to recognize the boundary between ethical and unethical actions must be continued, so that network members can be continuously educated and share same value system, such as ethical standards.
Hello Choi,
Thank you for your comment.
I believe that a multicultural backgrounds like yours and mine(I was born and raised in Argentina) are excellent to ponder the implications of cyber ethics. Websites are generally accessible from anywhere in the world, so they provide the setting for cultural clashes that range from respectful and thought provoking to shameless and destructive.
The idea that you and I put simply as “not doing online what you wouldn’t do in real life (IRL)” has to be reevaluated when two people have different views on what they should or shouldn’t do IRL. One simple example is that of illegal music distribution. In Argentina it is very common to see CD vendors on the side of the street selling obviously pirated music. However, here in the States, I have never seen somebody openly distributing copied music.
I hope to hear from you in future posts!
My position on ethics with digital media are ever-evolving. I didn’t grow up with all of this technology, and I have not historically felt that the same rigorous ethical standards would apply as would in face-to-face communication. Case-in-point: you referenced the question “is online flirting with someone other than your spouse acceptable?” Before, I would have said “absolutely.” Why not? It’s a (almost) meaningless – a fantasy, not reality – collection of words on a computer (or phone etc.). However, my thoughts are beginning to change as digital media are more & more incorporated into our lives. I know people in a serious romantic relationship who (by far) communicate more via text, Twitter, & FB than by phone or in person. (They are in a long distance relationship; however, the text is preferred to the phone in many cases.) Most people that I communicate with now are more likely to receive a text, email or IM than a phone call. (I too am removed from a lot of face-to-face contact due to geography; however, the trend to communicate through technology is becoming more a part of the fabric of our culture & an indication of our communication preferences. To me, this begs the question, how meaningless or based in fantasy vs. reality are those words we type? I have not decided yet if cyber flirting is the same as in-person flirting, but I am thinking about it differently.
Hello Heidi,
Thanks for your input. Makes total sense for people’s view on ethics and digital media to evolve as they encounter new situations. Your words echo my thoughts. From my part, the idea of online flirting is deeply tied to our delusion that what happens online (or over the phone) is less real than what happens in our physical surroundings. I believe it is part of a process of desensitization as we become more detached from the consequences of our actions. As Choi previously mentioned bullying, I will use it as an example. If a teenager made a demeaning comment to a classmate in school s/he had to deal with the reactions from the victim and those nearby. As the same comment is made through digital media, the bully doesn’t have to see reactions, yet the consequence for the person on the receiving end is just as hurtful. So, is it maybe lack of feedback that leads to a lessened self monitoring of our actions?