Media Ethics | Digital Ethics

Today nearly everyone is online. With easy, direct access to technology and social media platforms’ user-friendly interfaces, most Americans have become accustomed to sharing bits-and-pieces of their lives with others. Indeed, generations that once took family photos on bulky cameras are now able to snap pictures of their children… Read More

Can AI chatbots help politicians communicate with their constituencies? Read More

What are the ethics of covering conspiracy theories in the news? Read More

One of Hollywood’s most treasured actors may soon appear on the big screen again. James Dean –star of classic films like East of Eden, Rebel Without a Cause, and Giant– epitomized sexy youthful rebellion for many teens coming of age in the 1950s and beyond. While comeback roles are not… Read More

On September 12, 2023, TikTok launched its newest addition to the popular app: TikTok Shop. Originally, TikTok functioned as a video-sharing platform where users shared information, their thoughts and feelings on various topics, and of course, viral dances. However, with the implementation of the marketplace feature, creators now have the… Read More

Getting a tattoo can be a symbolic personal decision, one that is not for everyone. It’s a decision to express something about their personality in a permanent and often publicly visible way. But what if your tattoo was meant to advertise for someone else instead of to display your own… Read More

What are the ethical concerns of true crime podcasts? Read More

On November 14, 2014 tech giant Amazon announced the newest voice assistant to hit the market. The voice assistant, commonly known as “Alexa,” was a primary feature of a new wave of Amazon systems, known as the Echo. Alexa could answer virtually any question asked and perform many functions; from… Read More

It’s no secret that true crime media, whether in podcast or film format, has skyrocketed in popularity in recent years. True crime is popular for reasons other than entertainment, as this genre has led to solving cold cases, bringing ignored issues to light, and educating audiences on how to avoid… Read More

While Instagram used to be a casual platform to share quick snapshots with friends, it has turned into a perfectly curated stream of highlight reels. Like many young people, 21-year-old Sky Lane heavily edits her photos before posting them to social media. Lane’s main goal is to appear skinnier, but… Read More

For thousands of years, art has been an endeavor of the human race. From Rembrandt to Basquiat, from the Benin Bronzes to the new wave cinema of Hong Kong, art has been recognized as creative expressions of human intelligence. With the public release of DALL-E 2, a neural network that… Read More

TikTok Influencers have a lot of power. Should they use it in ethical ways? Read More

What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education? Read More

What ethical concerns arise when Twitter users can edit their tweets? Read More

What happens when YouTube drama channels switch from influencer gossip to serious tragedies? Read More

Are coordinated political campaigns ethical? Read More

When do popular TikTok trends become unethical? Read More

How offensive can trolls be? A case study in online free speech. Read More

Can inclusive advertising survive the heavy hand of Facebook's able-biased AI? Read More

Is hacktivism an ethical form of protest or activism? Read More

Can a blog author blur their identity to increase attention on an important issue? Read More

What are ethical concerns with police using technology to detect gunshots? Read More

What are the ethical tradeoffs of surveillance software in online education? Read More

What are the ethics of influencers and kidfluencers on YouTube? Read More

What are the ethics of sharing social justice posts on Instagram? Read More

Is Amazon's easy self-publishing good or bad for democracy? Read More

What are the ethics of unpublishing or removing news items? Read More

What ethical concerns arise when Apple distributes the news? Read More

How should Twitter deal with government demands to regulate speech in India? Read More

Do cheapfakes raise new ethical problems in political communication? Read More