ETHICS ON SOCIAL MEDIA

Given that ethics flourishes as a shared conversation, one might imagine that social media would lend itself well to ethical debate. But even a quick look at Twitter or Facebook reveals them to be as much spaces of blind, unreasoned vitriol as they are platforms for rational debate. So how does one best use social media to pursue the important shared conversations?

Social media adviser Catriona Pollard suggests the following strategies for keeping debates from going off the deep end online:

• Think before you tweet or post – it’s a public forum of millions, not a conversation around the dinner table with a few mates.

• Remember, you’re in control of your experience. If you don’t want to see certain people or subject matter in your feed, then unfollow them.

• If you experience or witness any aggressive or offensive behaviour, block and report the user.

• Would you say what you’re about to post to someone sitting in front of you? If the answer is ‘no’, then don’t post it to your page.

• Quick access to online resources and the ability to send them is one of the great advantages of debating online. “I love being sent a well-researched article that supports someone’s argument and helps me review mine,” says Pollard. “But be respectful of someone’s wishes. If they’re simply not interested, don’t bombard them.”