Students enrolled in Communication Ethics examined how organizations handle privacy, artificial intelligence and social media during a discussion of real world ethical dilemmas in online communication Oct. 6.
Before the discussion students received their midterm grades, reviewed material from Neher’s Communicating Ethically: Character, Duties, Consequences, and Relationships and talked about the course’s final white paper assignment in Hewitt Hall 207.
The in-class activity for chapter seven asked students to bring current examples of organizations facing ethical questions involving digital communication, then discuss whether the organization’s actions were ethical.
Examples included Meta’s social media practices, artificial intelligence, data privacy and the use of personal information online.
Dr. Andrea Vickery, the course instructor, said the discussion was designed to help students apply ethical frameworks to situations they encounter outside the classroom.
Vickery said students were expected to contribute more to the conversation rather than rely on the textbooks discussion as in previous weeks.
Her guidance when preparing for class was, “before class I read the book [Neher’s Communicating Ethically], think through what will be most valuable and interesting to discuss.”
The format also made the discussion more difficult to prepare for because Vickery did not know which examples students would choose to bring to class. She was not particularly inspired by the content moderation case study provided by the textbook, so students’ real-life examples became a vital part of the conversation.
Oswego students Logan Weingartner and Alex Kemnitzer started off the discussion by talking about Meta and allegations that its social media platforms can encourage users to continue scrolling. The discussion considered the difference between viewing an organization’s actions through an ethical lens and a financial lens.
The students ultimately discussed whether encouraging continued use of a platform was simply a business practice or an ethical issue. The conversation focused on the potential effects of algorithms on young children and whether financial incentives should outweigh the concerns about users.
Another discussion involving Oswego students Shannon Michaelis and Emily Havel focused on social media accounts and unexpected changes to who users were following.
The example raised questions about who controls social media accounts and what happens when users encounter changes they did not expect.
Privacy was another major concern throughout the class discussion. Oswego student Kenzie Murphy discussed an example involving Meta Glasses and concerns about private images being captured and shared without people’s consent or knowledge.
This example demonstrates one of the central ethical questions surrounding digital communication, whether people understand who can receive or access the information they share. Students considered how technology can make information visible to audiences that users may not have expected.
The class also discussed privacy and artificial intelligence. One example involved artificial intelligence, raising questions about how much access people give technology and what companies may be able to access through their terms and conditions.
These examples connected to concepts discussed in the textbook including privacy, surveillance, deception, manipulation, visibility, spreadability, persistence and searchability, digital communication can remain available after it is shared and can reach audiences beyond the person or organization that it originally intended to see.
The class also examined ethical concerns surrounding artificial intelligence in the workplace. Examples included Amazon’s use of artificial intelligence in its checkout technology, fashion companies using AI-generated models.
Other examples raised concerns about the role of social media companies in promoting harmful content when engagement and financial incentives are involved. Students considered how organizations’ decisions can affect users while also benefiting the company themselves.
The discussion showed how quickly digital communication creates new ethical challenges for organizations and their audiences. As technology continues to develop, students in Vickery’s Communication Ethics course were challenged to consider not only what organizations can do with digital tools, but also what they should do.
