Legal and Ethical Issues of Using Social Media

However, technology, the digital age, the internet, and social media have redefined privacy, as surveillance is no longer limited to a specific predefined space and location. Understanding the problems and dangers of privacy in the digital space is therefore the first step towards data protection control. While there may be clear differences between information privacy and physical privacy, as mentioned earlier, the intrusion can be both physical and otherwise. Stritch School of Medicine at Loyola University Chicago. Social Media Guidelines for SSOM Students. www.meddean.luc.edu/sites/defaultfiles/site_hsd_ssom/social-media-guidelines.pdf. Retrieved 11 August 2015. [are] web services that allow individuals to (1) create a public or semi-public profile within a limited system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share, and (3) view and iterate on their list of connections and those established by others within the system. The nature and nomenclature of these compounds may vary from site to site [3]. The question of the impact of social media on the Depp/Heard case remains the subject of public debate. It highlights the role that social media and mainstream media play in the justice system, particularly when it comes to active litigation cases. The concept of social networking predates the Internet and mass communication, as humans are called social beings who, when working in groups, can achieve results greater than the sun of its parts.[11] The explosion in social media use over the past decade has made it one of the most popular Internet services in the world, opening up new ways to “see and be seen” [12, 13]. The use of social media has changed the communications landscape, leading to changes in ethical norms and behaviours.

Unprecedented growth in usage has led to a decline in the use of other media and changes in areas such as civic and political engagement, privacy, and security [14]. Alexa, a company that tracks web traffic, states that as of August 2019, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter were among the top four (4) most visited websites, with only Google being the most popular search engine, surpassing these social media sites. Some of the challenges that social media posts face are the result of a lack of understanding and sometimes a lack of respect for the different ethical and moral viewpoints of the people involved. We`ve found that it`s typical for people to post on social media sites without thinking about how it may affect other people, but often these posts are a source of conflict due to a disagreement that may exist and the impact the post may have. Each individual will have their own ethical values, and if they differ, it can lead to conflict.[31] When a British company executive posted a racist Instagram post before boarding a plane to South Africa, it sparked a frenzy that led to the executive`s immediate dismissal. Although the executive said it was a joke and no bias was expected, this disagreement over the impact of the position led an unemployed executive and a company to struggle to maintain its public image. While this article is not a substitute for formal legal advice and is not intended to be a comprehensive guide to the topic, read on to explore some relevant rules in the American Bar Association`s Model Rules of Professional Conduct and learn more about the ethical obligations that bind social media use and lawyers` interactions with the media. The type of pool. Seinfeld. NBC Television.

16 November 1995. Quoted by: Terry NP. Doctors and patients who “befriend” or “tweet”: build a legal framework for social networks in a highly regulated field. 2010;43(2):286. Arguably, privacy is a cultural and universal necessity for harmonious relationships between people, creating boundaries for engagement and withdrawal. Privacy can also be considered an instrumental good, as it is a prerequisite for the development of certain types of human relationships, intimacy, and trust [7]. However, privacy protection is much more difficult to ensure due to constant surveillance and the inability to determine the degree of interaction with different audiences [7]. Some critics argue that privacy protects against anti-social behaviour such as deception, misinformation and fraud and is considered a universal right [5]. However, privacy can also be considered relative, as data protection rules may differ due to several factors such as “climate, religion, technological progress and political arrangements” [8, 9]. The need for privacy is an objective reality, although it can be considered “culturally rational” when the need for privacy is considered relative because of culture.

One example is the pressure from government, business and Singaporeans to make Singapore a smart nation. According to GovTech 2018 reports, the Singapore government is pushing to use the “new gold” of data to develop systems that can make life easier for its people. The [10] report highlights that Singapore uses Smart Water Assessment Network (SWAN) sensor robots to monitor water quality in its reservoirs, build a smart health system and build an intelligent transport system, to name a few. In this example, privacy can be described as “culturally rational,” and rules in general may differ depending on technological advances and political agreements. White, C. L., & Boatwright, B. (2020). Social Media Ethics in the Data Economy: Social Responsibility Issues for Facebook`s Use for Public Relations Purposes. Public Relations Review, 46(5), 1-7.

As lawyers know, virtually no law (and virtually no rule) is isolated. Instead, they often form a complex web of interconnected principles. As a result, additional ethical rules often influence how lawyers can interact with the media and the public, both online and in person. This latest U.S. trial has become a social media sensation and the influence of this hype has become a widely debated topic. Heard`s lawyers went on to claim that Depp`s legal team worked overtime to demonize Heard, and even publicly stated that social media influenced the outcome of the trial. However, Depp`s team says social media played no role in the verdict, and one juror intervened to say jury decisions were guided by evidence and not influenced by social media. One of the factors driving users to share content is the need to feel more in tune with the world around them. This desire is often motivated by jealousy. Many social media users are jealous when their friends` content receives more attention than theirs and so there is a lot of pressure to maintain one`s personality in social circles, even if the information is unrealistic, as long as they receive as much attention as possible. Everything has to be perfect. For example, when taking into account a photo, lighting, camera angle and background.

This need for perfection puts enormous pressure on individuals to ensure that posted content is “liked” by their friends. They often think very little about the work their friend did behind the scenes to achieve that perfect social contribution. In response to the increasing use of social media by health professionals and students in training, various educational institutions and professional associations have developed guidelines. For example, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine [24], Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine [25] and Mayo Clinic [26] all responded with official guidelines on social media use by students, faculty, and staff. In addition, the American Medical Association [27] and the British Medical Association [28] have developed official guidelines for the use of social media in health care. Although these disorders have spread to society as a whole, some specific issues are of particular importance for vocational training. Most of these issues were presented in a review article in the Journal in 2008,4 but subsequently a number of relevant prosecutions in this area were decided.