I think the probability of a universal code of ethics being used by everyone on social media is pretty low, however, I do think there should be a certain amount of moral thought put into the way we act on social media. Social media shouldn't be something that people are comfortable hiding behind in order to preach hate and discrimination. People should create their own ethical code of conduct, if you will, while being active online. If I was to create one for myself it would definitely consist of paying attention to others feelings and how others could be affected by the things I choose to share online. If we all considered this, I think that social media could be a much more accepting and safe space. I think we could be using social media in a way to give people hope and light in their lives instead of using it as a way to show off the highlights of our own lives while making others feel bad about theirs. If we did this and created an environment that people could feel welcomed in, people wouldn’t have to feel alone. When someone feels alone they could connect with others through social media. They could see the good and happiness life can offer and people could access that through the connections they find there. I think social media could be so much more positive then it is right now, even though there are those that already strive for it to be that way.
Without a standard of ethics that users try to follow, social media can be a very damaging tool. One example of this is the use of photoshop. One of my biggest grudges against social media is the unrealistic standards it tries to set for people. One of them being a beauty standard. Coming mostly from celebrities who are very influential in our society, photos are tweaked and pinched and airbrushed so that the person’s body that's in the image is almost completely unattainable to any normal person. This is a struggle that a lot of people deal with when scrolling through social media. Comparing yourself to someone else when that person isn't even real is a harsh judgement to place open yourself. Is it unethical for those who put these photos out to pretend as though these photos are unaltered? I think it is. If you are going to Photoshop a photo to alter the appearance of a person's body there should be a clear disclaimer and possibly even the original photo next to the altered one that allows people to see that the celebrities and perfect bodies that they aspire to look like aren't perfect either. We all have flaws and social media sometimes tries to convince people that we should be ashamed of them. Some of the photos are more subtle than others but even the small differences matter. Personally whenever I see edited photos next to the originals I always like the original better. People often look at a photo of themselves and think that it's not good enough to post unless it's edited up. We're all our own worst critics so it makes it even harder to be constantly in comparison to everyone else's photoshopped or altered bodies.
In contrast to this, good social media influences are posts that show real people in their real lives. Those are helpful and hopeful for people to see. Something that I've been seeing a lot lately on Instagram, that correlates to ethical social media use, is when people post photos of their bodies only seconds apart and how much you can change the way your body looks just by posing. These photos show how unrealistic many Instagram photos are. It's all about the expectations social media gives us versus the reality of real life people and experiences. I love these posts because they highlight the fact that you don't need to Photoshop or suck in or even pose to be beautiful. These posts are ethically inclined because they are real, no fake standards or alterations, just real people, in their real lives, with their real bodies. These posts promote body positivity and a more positive outlook on life itself.
Another example of where social media could use a code of conduct is people’s unethical use of Twitter. It is so ridiculous to see the behavior of so many adults on Twitter turn to acting like children on the playground with their name calling, finger pointing, and bullying remarks. Twitter has become a place to critique and boldly state your own opinion without any regard to the readers. The worst of this is when people in power that they don’t deserve try and silence and degrade others through this platform. The prime and obvious example of this is Donald Trump. He thinks that he can step on others and make up his own reality on Twitter to try and get his way. His latest attacks on Senator John McCain are an example of how he uses Twitter to slander anyone opposed to him. People in leadership should be setting an example for how to use social media platforms like Twitter in ethical, positive ways.
I believe the way you choose to use social media and be present while doing so determines whether or not you are doing justice to ethical standards. Examining your thoughts and considering how your posts may affect your followers should be all of our first rule of conduct while using social media. We all have the right to freedom of speech and expression, but we shouldn’t have the right to degrade and hate through it. Along with our freedom of speech should be our own ethical census that causes each of us to consider others before we post our thoughts and opinions. Determining that what you post follows ethical behavior before you send it out for the world to see should be something that people do without having to think about it. We need to hold ourselves to higher ethical standards than we are demonstrating in the present.
Without a standard of ethics that users try to follow, social media can be a very damaging tool. One example of this is the use of photoshop. One of my biggest grudges against social media is the unrealistic standards it tries to set for people. One of them being a beauty standard. Coming mostly from celebrities who are very influential in our society, photos are tweaked and pinched and airbrushed so that the person’s body that's in the image is almost completely unattainable to any normal person. This is a struggle that a lot of people deal with when scrolling through social media. Comparing yourself to someone else when that person isn't even real is a harsh judgement to place open yourself. Is it unethical for those who put these photos out to pretend as though these photos are unaltered? I think it is. If you are going to Photoshop a photo to alter the appearance of a person's body there should be a clear disclaimer and possibly even the original photo next to the altered one that allows people to see that the celebrities and perfect bodies that they aspire to look like aren't perfect either. We all have flaws and social media sometimes tries to convince people that we should be ashamed of them. Some of the photos are more subtle than others but even the small differences matter. Personally whenever I see edited photos next to the originals I always like the original better. People often look at a photo of themselves and think that it's not good enough to post unless it's edited up. We're all our own worst critics so it makes it even harder to be constantly in comparison to everyone else's photoshopped or altered bodies.
In contrast to this, good social media influences are posts that show real people in their real lives. Those are helpful and hopeful for people to see. Something that I've been seeing a lot lately on Instagram, that correlates to ethical social media use, is when people post photos of their bodies only seconds apart and how much you can change the way your body looks just by posing. These photos show how unrealistic many Instagram photos are. It's all about the expectations social media gives us versus the reality of real life people and experiences. I love these posts because they highlight the fact that you don't need to Photoshop or suck in or even pose to be beautiful. These posts are ethically inclined because they are real, no fake standards or alterations, just real people, in their real lives, with their real bodies. These posts promote body positivity and a more positive outlook on life itself.
Another example of where social media could use a code of conduct is people’s unethical use of Twitter. It is so ridiculous to see the behavior of so many adults on Twitter turn to acting like children on the playground with their name calling, finger pointing, and bullying remarks. Twitter has become a place to critique and boldly state your own opinion without any regard to the readers. The worst of this is when people in power that they don’t deserve try and silence and degrade others through this platform. The prime and obvious example of this is Donald Trump. He thinks that he can step on others and make up his own reality on Twitter to try and get his way. His latest attacks on Senator John McCain are an example of how he uses Twitter to slander anyone opposed to him. People in leadership should be setting an example for how to use social media platforms like Twitter in ethical, positive ways.
I believe the way you choose to use social media and be present while doing so determines whether or not you are doing justice to ethical standards. Examining your thoughts and considering how your posts may affect your followers should be all of our first rule of conduct while using social media. We all have the right to freedom of speech and expression, but we shouldn’t have the right to degrade and hate through it. Along with our freedom of speech should be our own ethical census that causes each of us to consider others before we post our thoughts and opinions. Determining that what you post follows ethical behavior before you send it out for the world to see should be something that people do without having to think about it. We need to hold ourselves to higher ethical standards than we are demonstrating in the present.
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