Media Ethics Research Articles

Social Media Ethics on Instagram as a Virtual Public Space for Teenagers

The understanding of ethics in interaction with social media is different for each individual. Some people consider social media as a public space that must maintain boundaries of behavior and others consider social media as a medium of expression to show self-identity. Problems that arise in the use of social media include the fusion of private space with the public space of its users, especially on Instagram social media. This research uses a virtual ethnography strategy with a qualitative research approach. The type of research used is descriptive qualitative with the population of this research is teenagers who are active Instagram users. The first finding is the ethics of drawing boundaries between public and private space on Instagram. How Instagram social media blurs the boundaries between public and private matters. This research also reveals the ethics and interactions that occur in the social media space of Instagram.

Pendidikan Agama Islam dan literasi Media Sosial dalam Menghadapi Era Informasi Bagi Generasi Muda Indonesia

This study examines the strategic role of Islamic religious education in enhancing social media literacy among young generations in the digital age. Using a qualitative approach through library research, the study explores how Islamic education can contribute to developing critical thinking skills, ethical behavior, and responsible use of social media platforms. The research findings highlight three main roles of Islamic education: shaping character and attitudes aligned with Islamic values in social media usage, integrating learning materials on social media ethics, and fostering awareness of the impact of social media on personal development and society. Furthermore, the study identifies key strategies for implementing social media literacy in Islamic education, including curriculum integration, utilizing social media as a learning tool, and developing critical thinking skills. The research concludes that Islamic education has significant potential in preparing young generations to face the challenges of the digital era by instilling Islamic principles such as tabayyun (verification), tadabbur (contemplation), and tabarruk (seeking blessings) in their online interactions. This holistic approach is expected to contribute to forming a generation of Muslims who are literate, critical, and responsible in their use of social media.

Do Robots Have Sex? A Prolegomenon

Research in Human–Robot Interaction (HRI) suggests that people attribute gender to (some) robots. In this paper we outline a program of research on the gendering of robots and on the ethical issues raised by such gendering. Understanding which robots are gendered, when, and why, will require careful research in HRI, drawing on anthropology and social psychology, informed by state-of-the-art research in gender studies and critical theory. Design features of robots that might influence the attribution of gender include: appearance; tone of voice; speech repertoire; range and style of movement; behaviour; and, intended function. Robots may be gendered differently depending on: the age, class, sex, ethnicity, and sexuality of the person doing the attributing; local cultural histories; social cues from the designers, the physical and institutional environment, and other users; and the role of the robot. An adequate account of the gender of robots will also need to pay attention to the limits of a sex/gender distinction, which has historically been maintained by reference to a “sex” located in a biological body, when it comes to theorising the gender of robots. We argue that, on some accounts of what it is to be sexed, robots might “have” sex: they might be male and female in just the same way as (most) human beings are. Addressing the ethical issues raised by the gendering of robots will require further progress in “robot media ethics”, as well as an account of the responsibilities of both designers and users in a broader social context.

Ethics of Media

Very often, the media is labeled as the fourth pillar of democracy along with the legislature, the executive and the judiciary. The population generally banks on the media to be unbiased, accurate and fair and report the whole truth without having an agenda of its own. They expect the news houses to not be affiliated to any political party so that the news they present is not manipulated in favor of a group of individuals. Media is a social institution which is time and again responsible for changing and altering societies, mindsets, beliefs, opinions, attitudes, and ways of thinking of various social groups such as families and individuals. It acts as a bridge between the people and the ones in positions of power, questioning the latter and bringing them into a forum of discussions and debates. In my essay, I am going to primarily focus on the journalism as well as the advertising side of mass media in India and attempt to analyse the challenges facing them.

Adequate Digital Competence in Early Childhood Education

The key questions this study seeks to answer is what adequate digital competence is and how preschool teachers characterise young children’s adequate digital competence. A variety of frameworks and models have been developed to exemplify and characterise teacher’s digital competences. However, to date, there is hardly any study examining young children’s digital competencies in early childhood education. The data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 13 preschool teachers at seven preschools in the centre of Sweden and analysed using qualitative content analysis. The findings of the study show that children’s digital competence in early education is an increasingly complex notion which can be characterised by seven key aspects: To get better understanding and be familiar with digital technologies, To use digital technologies, To have a critical approach toward digital technologies, To have ethical media competences, To have problem-solving skills, To be producers, not just consumers, of digital technologies, and To dare trying digital technologies. This study, further, portrayed the digitally competent preschool teacher’s qualifications in order to fulfil preschool teachers’ complex task (i.e. educare) in children’s learning and development.

Book Reviews: Entertaining Ethics: Lessons in Media Ethics From Popular Culture by Chad Painter and Lee Wilkins Media Law Through Science Fiction: Do Androids Dream of Electric Free Speech? by Daxton R. Stewart

Book Reviews: <i>Entertaining Ethics: Lessons in Media Ethics From Popular Culture</i> by Chad Painter and Lee Wilkins <i>Media Law Through Science Fiction: Do Androids Dream of Electric Free Speech?</i> by Daxton R. Stewart

Drone journalism and professional media ethics imperative discourse

The emergence of drones in journalism has raised questions concerning use and implications, all against the backdrop of local and global professional media interpretation of ethics. Drone_journalism is fraught with dialectics around privacy, intrusion and professional ethics; due to drones' pervasiveness in newsgathering and ethical challenges for stakeholders. This study relies on PRISMA_framework and discourse_analysis to propose a new concept for the redefinition of media ethics for integration into drone journalism. This paper thus presents the relevance of rethinking media interpretation of ethics through a transformed understanding of privacy in the face of drone technology; in the interest of the human person's sanctity. Include at least one finding of the paper, then what the paper concludes.

Legalizing executive control: on the law of online journalism in India

ABSTRACT This article critiques the Information Technology (Intermediaries Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules 2021 (“the Rules”) as they relate to online journalism. The Government’s stated objective for making the Rules is to “level the playing field” of online journalism with print journalism. I examine whether and how the Government satisfies this objective. I make two broad claims. First, the Rules fail to “level the playing field”. The objectives, philosophical approach, and substance of the new regulatory scheme are significantly different from those that govern print journalism, and to the disadvantage of online journalism. Second, rather than “levelling the playing field”, the Rules give the Government overwhelming control of online journalism. The Government exercises ultimate control over the regulatory structures and gives itself unprecedented censorship powers over online journalism. If my claims are correct, the Rules will have catastrophic consequences for online journalism and Indian democracy.

Meningkatkan Kesadaran Hukum Agar Bijak Dalam Bermedia Sosial di Citramas Kabupaten Sumedang

Introduction: The existence of violations against the rule of law in using social media shows that the legal awareness of the community in using social media according to the Electronic Information and Transaction Law is still low.Purposes of Devotion: To provide knowledge to the public, especially the Perum Citramas youth group, about legal awareness in using social media wisely. Method of Devotion: The implementation method used in the realization of Counseling Counseling is carried out by the method of lectures and discussions on Mamalah State Regulations related to coastal natural resource management. This Community Service is to provide Legal Counseling to the Community about the ethics of social media, where recently there have been frequent criminal cases originating from social media. This counseling needs to be done because there are many problems that originate from the use of social media.Results of the Devotion: Implementation of eduction legal counseling activities regarding the ethics of social media for all Karang Taruna members, totaling 20 people, consisting of Karang Taruna management, Chair, Secretary and Members. Where not all Karang Taruna members understand the negative effects of social media, so that in this area there have been disputes between residents that started from misunderstandings on social media.

Autonomy in Local Digital News: An Exploration of Organizational and Moral Psychology Factors

ABSTRACT This mixed-methods study examines autonomy and shifts in the evolving digital news industry. Autonomous agency of news workers is an essential indicator of how journalism work is fulfilling its role as the Fourth Estate in American democracy. This work responds to calls in media ethics, media sociology and moral ecology to better understand how organizational structure and individual moral psychology factors influence the levels at which digital news workers exhibit autonomy within their digital news organizations. Using participant observation, a unique survey and respondent interviewing, I worked for one year with a digitally native hyper-local news organization to examine how organizational structure, leadership, socialization, and individual factors influenced autonomy levels in the staff. Results found overall high levels of autonomy in the editorial staff, but with many constraints such as financial pressures, perceived lack of time, a high pressure to perform multiple jobs and duties outside of the scope of typical legacy journalism job descriptions.

The Problem with Apu: Recognizing Moral Issues in Media Ethics

ABSTRACT The task of media ethicists is not only to shine a light on the dilemmas facing our field, but also to point out what the moral issues of the day are. Why is it that some cases and issues appear on our radar, in our textbooks, web sites and journals? Using the example of how the problematic nature of the Apu character in The Simpsons escaped the attention of this author and other media ethicists, this essay explores how media ethicists can be better aware of their own blind spots. Given our limited cognitive abilities and unconscious biases, I will argue that media ethicists could potentially benefit from the help of a theoretical media ethics moral machine (MeMorMach), especially in instances where they are unaware of the potential violation of an established norm. But when normative change occurs, such a device would be less useful in tracking this change and alerting them, especially to those adhering to a constructivist meta-ethical framework. The essay concludes with a call for media ethicists to pay attention to and assist so-called moral enquirers, advocates who, through personal engagement, enact normative change.

Special Call from the Journal of Media Ethics: Moral Psychology and Media

Special Call from the Journal of Media Ethics: Moral Psychology and Media

Special Call from the Journal of Media Ethics: Media Ethics Symposium - ‘Challenges to Digital Media Flourishing’ October 2022, Pennsylvania State University

Special Call from the Journal of Media Ethics: Media Ethics Symposium - ‘Challenges to Digital Media Flourishing’ October 2022, Pennsylvania State University

Virtual Virtue? Opportunities and Challenges in Explicating Intellectual Virtues Through Journalistic Exemplars in the Digital Network

ABSTRACT This article explores the opportunities and challenges of using journalistic exemplars in the digital network to explicate intellectual virtues necessary for flourishing in that network. It seeks to advance media ethics theorizing by drawing together exemplar-based virtue theory, specifically Zagzebski’s Exemplarist Moral Theory, and work on intellectual virtues, in particular Baehr’s delineation of nine intellectual virtues. After a description of theoretical foundations, this article articulates an approach to identifying and explicating intellectual virtues through journalistic exemplars in the digital network. It then applies this approach to the work of two journalists who have frequently and thoughtfully used social media. This exploratory analysis suggests the proposed approach holds promise for explication of individual virtues and identification of patterns among them. The approach also carries challenges and limitations, partly related to the nature and scope of virtual evidence for enactment of virtues by journalists. The authors suggest future research to minimize these limitations and continue advancing theorizing within this framework.

The Role of Public Libraries in Digital Media Literacy: Fostering Critical Thinking and Online Safety Among Youth

Public libraries play a vital role in promoting online safety, digital citizenship, and responsible social media use among youth. Through various initiatives and programs, libraries provide resources, education, and support to help young people navigate the digital landscape safely and ethically. This paper examines the importance of online safety education, the promotion of digital citizenship awareness, and the fostering of social media ethics in public libraries. It also analyzes case studies that highlight the impact and effectiveness of these initiatives. Evaluation methods for assessing the effectiveness and learning outcomes of these programs are discussed. The findings demonstrate that public libraries are essential in empowering youth to become responsible digital citizens.

This is Undignified! Comparing the Representation of Human Dignity on Cheaters and Uyajola 9/9

Calls have resonated within media scholarship and practice for more ethical oversight in the production and distribution of media content by producers through ethical frameworks. This article intervenes in the literature on the global debate around media ethics frameworks by focusing on the underexploredvalue of human dignity in the context of television reality shows. The article makes two interventions in relation to the value of dignity, one theoretical and another applied. The theoretical intervention, contrary to the tendency to rely on Western cultures and theories to conceptualise human dignity, draws from a Global South perspective, specifically from the African ethical idea of Ubuntu that proffers a relational (as opposed to an individualist) conception of human dignity. The applied ethics intervention responds to the scant literature focusing on the representation of human dignity in media ethics. The article uses Ubuntu’s theory of human dignity to compare the representation of participants on similar factual television shows from the United States of America (USA) and South Africa depicting relational infidelity. Multimodal critical discourse analysis from three episodes of Cheaters and three episodes of South Africa’s Uyajola 9/9 (n=6) reveal that human dignity in the representation of the participants in these two shows is often neglected in the media production process, leaving many questions about the global and local media ethics of these two reality shows.

An Analysis of Middle School Social Studies Textbooks with a Focus on Media Themes

This study analyzes middle school social studies textbooks regarding media coverage. Document analysis was the preferred methodology of data collection. The data was gathered from 5th, 6th, and 7th grade middle school textbooks, identified via random sampling. The Media Concept and Related Concepts Textbook Review Form, developed by the researcher, was utilized during the data collection process. Researcher triangulation was applied during the analysis phase. The media-related textbook content was encapsulated within the following five themes: Media elements, media effects, media functions, media literacy, and media ethics. Findings for the media elements were categorized into media development, media tools, media types, media institutions, and media workers. Another major theme emerging from the analysis of the textbook content was media effects, which contained both positive and negative dimensions related to the impacts of media. Media functions constituted another media content theme emerging from the textbook analysis. This theme encompassed the media functions of transmission, speed, and ease of processing, communication and communication tools, education, and digital content. The media literacy theme encompassed findings categorized into thematic concepts, basic skills, and consciousness-raising. The final main theme emerging from the textbook analysis was media ethics. This theme included findings associated with controllable and regulable activities and ethical rights.

“Blood on their Hands” vs. “A Foolish Prank”: The British Press’s Response to a Deadly Hoax on the Royal Family

ABSTRACT This study builds upon historical scholarship of the royal family and the British press to examine a critical incident in 2012 involving future queen Kate Middleton. After radio deejays hoaxed a hospital where Middleton was a patient, a nurse inadvertently involved with the prank died by suicide, creating a global sensation. This study examines how the British press and public reacted to this breach of media ethics. Although some in the press condemned the incident, victim-blaming illustrated an evasion of responsibility when it comes to media and the royal family. The public, via letters to the editor, tended to take a firmer stance and were more apt to contextualize the hoax against a history of invasive media coverage. Overall, this study suggests the British press remains wedded to historical strategies of distancing and victim-blaming, providing little optimism about how the relationship between the press and the royal family might change.

MENGEMBANGKAN ETIKA BERMEDIA SOSIAL PESERTA DIDIK MELALUI PENGUATAN MATERI AJAR PADA MATA PELAJARAN PAI

The purpose of this study is to discuss the strengthening of PAI teaching materials in developing students' social media ethics in the realm of moral ethics and social ethics. Library research becomes a type of research. The results show that the subject of Islamic Religious Education (PAI) with a series of subjects or content of teaching materials, can be a solution to fortify students and be able to develop social media ethics in the realm of moral ethics and social ethics for each. The efforts or ways that can be done are through strengthening PAI teaching materials with the following steps: first, integrating PAI teaching materials with phenomena that occur on social media. second, the development of PAI materials and curriculum. third, strengthening with orientation in the form of character education and fourth, evaluations that are carried out regularly. So that the final results obtained will make students better understand how to interact with fellow social media users while still applying the content of the material.

Moralitas Teknologi: Etika dalam Media Sosial Perspektif Immanuel Kant

This article examines the impact of the development of digital technology, including smartphones and social media, on human morality using Kant's deontological framework. With advancements in technology such as computers, smart applications, and digital communication, human life has undergone significant transformation. The author highlights how the current trend of social media has a paradoxical effect of distancing individuals who are physically close while bringing closer those who are far away, and its implications on social ethics and moral obligations in society. This article emphasizes the importance of practicing good and proper social media ethics in the digital era, and how technology facilitates human social interactions. With reference to Kant's deontology, the author argues that morality and ethics are crucial in technology-mediated social interactions, emphasizing the importance of goodwill in human actions amidst rapid technological changes.