The Ethics of Emerging Media: Information, Social Norms, and New Media Technology

by Bruce E. Drushel, Kathleen German

Overview

The Ethics of Emerging Media engages with enduring ethical questions while addressing critical questions concerning ethical boundaries at the forefront of new media development. This collection provides a rare opportunity to ask how emerging media affect the ethical choices in our lives and the lives of people across the globe.Â

Centering on different new media forms from eBay to Wikipedia, each chapter raises questions about how changing media formats affect current theoretical understanding of ethics. By interrogating traditional ethical theory, we can better understand the challenges to ethical decision making in an age of rapidly evolving media. Each chapter focuses on a specific case within the broader conceptual fabric of ethical theory. The case studies ground the discussion of ethics in practical applications while, at the same time, addressing moral dilemmas that have plagued us for generations. The specific applications will undoubtedly continue to unfold, but the ethical questions will endure.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781441183354
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	03/17/2011
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Bruce Drushel, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor of Communication at Miami University, OH.

Kathleen German, PhD., is a Professor of Communication at Miami University, OH.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Emerging Media: A View Downstream Kathleen German Bruce Drushel 1

I Citizens, Consumers, and Culture

1 eBay Ethics: Simulating Civility in One of the New Digital Democracies Robert MacDougall 13

2 New Romance: A Digital Media Practice in the Age of the Internet Mel Racho 35

3 Idol Concerns: The Ethics of Parasociality Christopher Bell 51

II Ethical Practices of Conservators and Regulators

4 Rhizomatic Restoration: Conservation Ethics in the Age of Wikipedia Daniel Heath Cull 77

5 The New Pornographers: Legal and Ethical Considerations of Sexting Brett Lunceford 99

6 "I'm Here to Tell You it's OK": The FCC Chairman, Digital TV, and Lying to the Government Bruce Drushel 119

III Speech, Civility, and Privacy

7 Holocaust Denial, Cyberspace, and the Question of Moral Convergence Priscilla Marie Meddaugh 135

8 Privacy and Participation in the Cloud: Ethical Implications of Google's Privacy Practices and Public Communications Robert Bodle 155

9 Facebook: Student Perceptions of Ethical Issues About Their Online Presence Tammy Swenson Lepper 175

IV Propaganda and Strategic Communications

10 New Culture/Old Ethics: What Technological Determinism Can Teach Us About New Media And Public Relations Ethics Elspeth Tilley 191

11 Blogola, Sponsored Posts, and the Ethics of Blogging Ric Jensen 213

V Journalistic Practice

12 How We Comment on Web Journalism: A Case Study on Dialogue Found in News Articles Michael Trice 235

13 Citizen Journalists and Civic Responsibility: Decorum in an Age of Emerging Media Kathleen German 251

Index 273

Editorial Reviews

The editors of "The Ethics of Emerging Media" have put together a rich collection that takes readers on a tour of current popular media and media technologies. This book offers in-depth and smartly theorized explorations from Holocaust denial in cyberspace to the unethical tactics of American Idol producers. In between, we get discussions on Google, Wikipedia, eBay, blogs, Facebook, online journalism, and a host of other sites for inquiry. "The Ethics of Emerging Media" sits at the intellectual intersection of communication studies, media studies, net art, rhetoric, and technology studies and should be required reading for any scholar interested in contemporary digital communication practices.

Cheryl E. Ball, Associate Professor of New Media Studies, Illinois State University

From the Publisher