Ethical Issues in Social Networking - Essay Example

The three main ethical questions that the use of social networks as a means of communication are: (1) do social networks protect the individual privacy of the users? (2) Do social networks ensure safety for their users? (3) Do the advantages of using social networks outweigh the disadvantages?

The question of whether or not social networks protect the individual privacy of the users is a pertinent ethical question because a critical look at many social networks shows that the use of social networks comprises the individual privacy of the user. This is because many users of social networks, especially the youth share important private information about themselves with their friends on social networks, without realizing that people with bad motives can use the private information to harm them in one way or another.
The question of whether or not social networks ensure safety for their users is also a critical ethical question. This question is particularly important considering cybercrimes like cyberbullying and cyberstalking.

The third question also is very important because, although there are many advantages of using social networks as a means of communication, there are also many disadvantages of using social networks as a means of communication. On utilitarian grounds, therefore, it is important to determine whether or not the advantages of using social networks outweigh the disadvantages.
Having explained the three critical questions that the use of social networking as a means of communication raises, let us look in detail at the real ethical challenge that these questions raise.

To begin with, social networks compromise individual privacy, especially among teenagers who disclose a large amount of their personal information online. As Christofides has rightly argued, although Facebook has played a significant role in telecommunication, it has presented a problem in privacy protection among high school students, thus doing more harm than good (2010). Many teenagers disclose on social networks like Facebook sensitive personal information like relationship status, email address, the list of their friends’ birthdays, as well as other networked connections through the sites. They also provide their real names, complete birthdays, and really clear photo images of themselves in their profile. This fact shows that social networks compromise individual privacy because there are no restrictions on the kind of information that one can share or post on social networks.

Secondly, many criminals use social networks to cause harm to social network users. Crimes such as cyberbullying and cyberstalking have made the lives of some social networks users, especially teenagers, completely miserable. Many victims of cyberbullying and cyberstalking develop psychological disorders and some of them even commit suicide (Gayle, 2014). This fact shows that social networks do not ensure safety for their users.

Thirdly, although social networks have revolutionized communication among people and made communication quite easy and affordable, social networks have many disadvantages. Social networks have ruined the lives of some teenagers by making them be expelled from schools and colleges (Debatin et, 2009). Social networks, also, have made some people have some psychological disorders and even commit suicide as we have already seen. For this reason, therefore, although social networks have made communication among people quite easy, social networks have many disadvantages. Read More