Wasike, Jotham. 2013. "Social Media Ethical Issues:
Role of a Librarian." Library Hi
Tech News 30 (1): 8-16. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/07419051311320922.
Wasike, writing from the perspective
of a librarian in Kenya, takes a look at social media privacy concerns. The
problem he identifies is that most users do not really understand or employ
privacy settings effectively on social media platforms, and this leads to
personal information being more accessible than the users intend. He also notes
that there is a conflict between the needs of users for privacy and the social
media platforms for profiting off the use of personal information. Wasike also
brings up the near impossible task of policing social media users’ behavior, in
terms of compliance with platforms’ terms and conditions of use. Fake accounts
used to troll, sabotage, and spread rumors are difficult to spot and rely on
users to report abusive behaviors. In turn, false reports occur as well. The
platforms themselves are immune from blame for the behavior of their users, and
give no guarantees as to the quality of the content that users post. Social
media can be part of the “Library 2.0” approach, making libraries more of an
interactive environment for patrons.
The author states that “Social
media ethics are informed by normative theories that aim to develop a set of
best practices governing human conduct” (8). He says that virtue ethics also
come into play, and “individual users engage in ethical conduct by following
principles and rules, or adopting habits and behaviors seen as ethically
virtuous” (8). Not clearly stated but clearly implied are the use of the
professional ethics of librarians as a group, in the protection of users’
rights and privacy. This article is essentially a literature review with
conclusions and opinion based on that research.
Wasike
does not think there has been enough research and academic attention paid to
social media use by libraries. He suggests that librarians should learn more
about social media’s pitfalls and ethical implications, and that the librarian’s
focus should be on balancing privacy protections with access. One interesting
issue he brings up is that social media platforms, like other online resources
that libraries use, capture information about users that has the potential to
be used against them. By inviting patrons to participate on a library’s social
media account, is the library then responsible for the risk those users take in
leaving breadcrumbs of their online activity? The benefit of connecting with
patrons online does not come without risk.
The
conclusions that Wasike reaches include a few recommendations for how
librarians should move forward in the Information Age. He says librarians need
to be educated about social media and the greater context of the online
environment wherein it exists. He also says that librarians need to be active
shepherds of effective and ethical use of social media. He takes special note,
as a Kenyan, that censorship and oppressive political environments can be a
great threat to free use of social media. The way forward includes librarians
as navigators for users who need help differentiating good resources from bad
in an online world where all resources are presented as equal. He says that
social media use by librarians should comply with professional ethics, and that
librarians need to actively explore and research the development of ethical
issues in social media. Librarians, as information professionals, are uniquely
poised to have an impact on the field of social media ethics.
I think that Wasike makes some
very valid points, but the article does seem to lack focus in some ways. The
article seems more about the risks of social media use, rather than the ethical
issues concerned. I would like to see more of a structured exploration of the
ethical obligations of librarians in a social media environment. I have a lot
of questions that I hoped this article might approach, but did not – for instance,
considering how social media blurs the lines of professional and personal life,
how much of an obligation do librarians have to educate friends (or strangers)
online about media literacy when they encounter things like fake news or the
use of dubious sources? Can we break that down by using a variety of ethical
approaches, and do they tend to agree or disagree on the conclusions? I hope to
keep searching for more articles that go deeper into the ethics of social media
interactions, but this article was a good overview of issues and the reference
list looks to have a lot of good stepping-off points to further reading.
On a side note, this infographic from International Society for
Technology in Education (ISTE) is an example of how information professionals can influence and guide the behavior of users online. Graphics are an effective way to catch the attention of people online, and promoting good "digital citizenship" is a practical use of virtue ethics, which encourages conversation and interaction of people to enhance ethical habits.
https://www.iste.org/explore/articleDetail?articleid=192
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