Ethics, big social data, data sharing, and attitude among the millennial generation: A case of Thailand

Abstract

AbstractBig social data and digital technologies create tremendous opportunities but raise questions and concerns on ethical data usage and sharing. Moreover, big social data plays a vital role in Thailand's 20‐year national strategy to turn Thailand into a developed nation by 2037, especially on security and human capital development strategies. Nonetheless, the progress in big social data must go hand‐in‐hand with ethical standards. To date, there are no universal ethical criteria for big social data sharing and governance. This study investigates the ethical issues of big data in social media. It maps big social data to workable ethical theories. The model of big social data sharing factors was proposed. Using Thailand as a case study, the exploratory study examined the digital behaviors and moral perceptions of the millennials' big social data sharing through 71 in‐depth interviews. The results revealed a strong pattern toward “ethical consequentialism” among the Thai millennials. Examining these findings fosters the formation of big social data ethics from the views of the data generators. This study has attempted to contribute to scholarship in the growing body of work on appropriate ethical guidelines for big social data sharing and help Thailand achieve its national strategy.