Ethical Use Of Social Media
Social media is used in peoples everyday life. Either looking at a freinds posts
online, or checking out what's going on in the world. But is it ethical? Is
using social platforms like instagram and twtter ethical?
First, we have to determine what exactly ethical means in this context.
Ethical: relating to moral principles or the branch of knowledge dealing with these.
First off, are these websites themselves ethical? No, they are not.
One of the main way these sites make money, is by selling your information
to other companies, so that they can advertise directly to you.
this happens when you type in your email and make an account, for
example, with twitter. Twitter then takes that information and sells it
to random companies, who then email you advertisements. Have you ever gotten
a random advertisement from somewhere you have never heard? Thank the facebook
account you made.
Now, is it ethical for YOU to use social media? Well that all depends on how you use it.
Cyberbullying is a known term use for people who bully others on an online platform.
This is one of the many ways social media can affect ones mental health, another is the term FOMO,
or the "Fear Of Missing Out." You see all of these other people's posts about how good they have it
and suddenly it makes you wanting more. But they only post the good things, people don't post about how
they didn't file their tax returns right and owe a large check to the irs, or how they have a court date
scheudaled for a DUI they had gotten.
When it comes down to it, how Ethical social media is to use is based on how you, the user, uses it
As long as you aren't using it for illegal or immoral methods, then there is nothing wrong with scrolling it
Now, the companies that take your information on the other hand are another story. But just be careful, know what you
are signing up for, and watch out for anything dangerous online.
