Social Networks as Ethical Dilemma
In a nutshell ethics in IT can be defined as a branch of philosophy that involves and deals with how professionals in this sector need to make decisions regarding social and professional conduct undertakings. In order to implement and manage this culture many organizations usually develop code of ethics. Basically codes of ethics are laid down behavior and culture of a particular organization. The sole purpose of ethical codes is realization and enhancement of professionalism and morality. For comprehensive understanding of ethics in IT, it is critical we view it from the different perspectives of ethical theories. Essentially each perspective impacts a situation in a particular manner and fronts the eventual outcome of an ethical dilemma to satisfy its target schema.
Summarily an ethical dilemma is a condition that will apparently involve conflict between moral imperatives that adhering to one will automatically result into transgressing the other. Commonly this scenario is referred to as ethical paradox as in moral philosophy; paradox involves a key role in ethics arguments and debates (Connolly, 2010). As a result of drastic growth in technology, many organizations are experiencing variant ethical dilemma. Recently the most experienced ethical dilemma is apparently social networking. Social networking is a brand new technology that is greatly influences the day to day activities at home and even at the work place. Similarly to any other technology development it has recorded pros and cons and thus it is posing as ethical dilemma in most of the work place.
The first reason is the amounts of time spend on these social networks. A recent human resource survey clearly exhibit trends of worry especially with a keen attention to the long productive durations that employees are wasting while interacting on these websites. In as much as the websites can be utilized for the gain of the organization, evidently more harm is been witnessed that good. Every organization needs to design and develop system that need to keep in check the amount of time spend by employees on these social websites. These can be achieved by installation of monitoring and banning software.
The second reason why social networking can be considering as ethical dilemma is the threat of security compromise it might cause to the organization. Most of the social networks evidently ask a lot of personal information. Also noted with concern, many people do not just input their information without consideration of the impact it might have on then. Also rarely do people read the terms and condition written before clicking ‘I agree’. Different organizations have been harmed by release of ‘over’ information by their employees.
The third reason why social networks are gradually becoming ethical dilemma is because of their content. Since they are no mechanism of controlling the information available on them, this can be a loophole of suggestive and intimidating content. The availability of such information definitely undermines the morality standards and therefore exposure the integrity and responsibility behavior and culture at a stake (Reynolds, 2009).
In a summary ethics in IT can be elucidated as a philosophy that involves and deals with how professionals in this sector need to make decisions regarding social and professional conduct undertakings while ethical dilemma is a condition that will apparently involve conflict between moral imperatives that adhering to one will automatically result into transgressing the other. Social networking can be considered as ethical dilemma because of the time been wasted on them, security compromise and lack of content regulation.