Ethics of Social Networking

This week we have a discussion on the topic of "Social Networking" in Syracuse blackboard. Some of us have touched some ethical points of SN but most of the issues raised are other perspectives. In this week posting I would like to emphasize on "Ethics of Social Networking" which our youngsters should be well educated, no matter who they will be in Social Networking chain, providers or users. We can't avoid social networking but we can make it a better place for us and our next generation. While you talk about social networking and its ethics, it becomes hard to ignore the following perspectives -

1. Rights Perspective Social networking is a medium to get connected with the world and at many times it becomes difficult to estimate the amount of privacy required. Regardless of the fact that no one conceives his presence on a social network as his personal space, majority of people find their prospective employees by perusing their profiles. At such times it becomes hard for the users to exercise complete control over the images and personal information made available online.
2. Utilitarian Perspective The social networking technology that allows you to get connected with others and sometimes form meaningful relationships also includes some of the illegal and unethical  activities like hacking and posting of threatening online messages that highlight possible harms of this service. For this reason, the social networks are now considered as a way of cyber-bullying and online-predation to attack the interest of a utilitarian. Thus, it becomes difficult to maintain a balance between the two as any limitations on one, restricts you to access the other.
3. Fairness Perspective There is a common belief that social networking websites are very useful in maintaining egalitarianism. You can never find out the gender, race, age and other personality traits of a person while interacting with them online. This disembodied feature of social networking groups offers fairness and allows everybody to cater their needs without any restrictions or limitations.
4. Common Good Perspective Social networking can help you improve your social life and expand your social groups. A large number of people access social networking applications to get connected with people and share their media files and interests, while there are some people who might have different perspectives behind joining these sites. In this case it becomes difficult to find out the common good in this context, since there are no online social communities formed for betterment of the society and promoting common good of the users.

This calls you to develop a new and improved privacy concept which can help you prioritize nuanced control over your personal and confidential information.

  

References :

Social Networking: Legal Ethics and Lawyer Liability Considerations

Ethics Of Social Networking

Alone or Not Alone!

Some say that "we can't be alone when involving in social networks" but some may say "social networking can make you alone".  How do you think about it?

In this week post I would like to emphasize on time spent with social networking.  I would like you to watch this clip and share your idea about how do you think about the right proportion of time we should be with computers? Is it a big problem of social networking compared with security and privacy concerns?

Additional readings
Do social network sites really make people feel more alone?
You are not alone on social networking.

How to protect your privacy in Social networking!

 

I just mentioned about safe-social networking sites for kids. For adults there are serious risks too such as loss of privacy and identity theft. Adults can be victims of cyber-bullying and stalking. Our pivacy is very important when involving in social network sites. There are some tips from FTC that can protect us from cyber crimes.

 

The Federal Trade Commission (http://www.ftc.gov/) suggests these tips for socializing safely online:

• Think about how different sites work before deciding to join a site. Some sites will allow only a defined community of users to access posted content; others allow anyone and everyone to view postings.
• Think about keeping some control over the information you post. Consider restricting access to your page to a select group of people, for example, your friends from school, your club, your team, your community groups, or your family.
• Keep your information to yourself. Don’t post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number, or bank and credit card account numbers — and don’t post other people’s information, either. Be cautious about posting information that could be used to identify you or locate you offline. This could include the name of your school, sports team, clubs, and where you work or hang out.
• Make sure your screen name doesn’t say too much about you. Don’t use your name, your age, or your hometown. Even if you think your screen name makes you anonymous, it doesn’t take a genius to combine clues to figure out who you are and where you can be found.
• Post only information that you are comfortable with others seeing — and knowing — about you. Many people can see your page, including your parents, your teachers, the police, the college you might want to apply to next year, or the job you might want to apply for in five years.
• Remember that once you post information online, you can’t take it back. Even if you delete the information from a site, older versions exist on other people’s computers.
• Consider not posting your photo. It can be altered and broadcast in ways you may not be happy about. If you do post one, ask yourself whether it’s one your mom would display in the living room.
• Flirting with strangers online could have serious consequences. Because some people lie about who they really are, you never really know who you’re dealing with.
• Be wary if a new online friend wants to meet you in person. Before you decide to meet someone, do your research: Ask whether any of your friends know the person, and see what background you can dig up through online search engines. If you decide to meet them, be smart about it: Meet in a public place, during the day, with friends you trust. Tell an adult or a responsible sibling where you’re going, and when you expect to be back.
• Trust your gut if you have suspicions. If you feel threatened by someone or uncomfortable because of something online, tell an adult you trust and report it to the police and the social networking site. You could end up preventing someone else from becoming a victim.

 

Ref: http://www.getsafeonline.org/nqcontent.cfm?a_id=1459

http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec14.shtm

Imbee...a safe social networking for your kids

Recently, I discussed with other teachers about social awareness in social networking and one asked "Do they have a safe social Netwoking for kids?" then I tried to find out and I found one.. 'Imbee'. Let's find out with yourself and you will love it.

Imbee is a safer social networking site that allows the young, hip and trendy to share and connect with friends, their lives and their world through a “one-of-a-kind” social media experience. Share playlists, make new global friends, chat with friends, share your videos, get your daily scope, connect with celebs, and much more.

       

At imbee.com, kids can participate in a variety of creative activities, including creating their own blogs and personalizing them with their own images or with artwork from one of the many custom imbee galleries; uploading graphics or music files; and exchanging messages with their friends.

For parents, imbee.com provides tools that enable them to better guide their children as they begin to develop those important digital skill sets and judgment necessary to make their personal online experiences fun, educational, and empowering.

Ref : http://smartsafe.blogspot.com/2010/08/imbeecome-on-already.html