Blog #15
Putting Ethics Online
This week in class we discussed the ethical considerations when writing online. This topic helped put the overall idea together of what online writing looks like. Our discussion and teachings in class were mostly reflections of what we thought ethics would look like.
One thing that I wanted to address is the idea of how users have access to so much content and can share whatever opinions they like via comments. I thought that this was a major factor in trying to keep writing online ethical. I think that the content an individual shares could be considered ethic and entertaining. However, I think the real struggle comes with containing other users opinions and unwanted comments. I have seen multiple videos, posts, tweets, etc. that follow an ethical code; but, the comments on that content takes away from the ethics. As entertaining as I find the comment section, I think that online writing will never be ethical if comments continue to be an option. There are other instances that I find myself looking at content, but the comments change the overall meaning of the post.
I wanted to address a question that was asked in class: What are the ethics of balancing your personal brand as on online writer and creating content that others will engage with?
I think that there is the possibility of creating content online that is both ethical and something others want to engage in. This would look like sharing content that has valuable sources if the content is educational, including where you got that information, and addressing the correct audience. However, with various algorithms and platforms sometimes the audience has more control than the actual author or producer of the content.
Hi Ciera! I found your perspective really interesting, and I'm glad you've shared it. Your concept of comments impacting the ethical considerations of the initial post is such a different outlook from how I was initially looking at this. It puts some amount of responsibility on the original poster to consider what the response may be and whether that response would edge toward unethical. I hadn't even thought about speech that may incite violence as a concept in writing ethics, or at least not from that angle. This is really important to think about, thank you for sharing your thoughts.
ReplyDeleteHi Ciera!
ReplyDeleteI agree that there can be a post that can lose its meaning due to the audience interaction. The comments can take away from the overall meaning of the original post, but I do love reading the comments seeing how the audience interacts and reacts to the original post.
Hey Ciera! I really liked this blog post. I had not previously considered the role of ethics in comment threads. While the initial creator may have used ethical measures, that doesn't mean that others can't take away from it by making posts that are unethical. The comment section is incredibly entertaining, but I can see how it could take away from the point the author is trying to make.
ReplyDelete