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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

Chapter 9
Social Media

Self-Assessment Questions

1. b. is approaching 4 billion
2. c. Facebook
3. False
4. d. increasing product sales and raising brand awareness
5. b. Organic media marketing
6. Impressions
7. c. A little more than half
8. True
9. False
10. c. Just under 50 percent
11. Cyberstalking
12. False
13. d. All of the above
14. False

Discussion Questions

1. Do research to identify a for-profit organization with an effective social media marketing

program. What makes its program successful? Next, identify a nonprofit organization with
an effective social media marketing program. What makes its program successful?
Student’s answers will vary. Social media marketing involves the use of social networks to
communicate and promote the benefits of products and services. The two primary objectives of
social media marketers are to raise brand awareness and drive traffic to a website to increase
product sales. Other important benefits of social media marketing are developing loyal fans,
providing market insight, and generating leads. The programs that students identify should show
evidence of being successful in reaching one or more of these objectives. Students should be able
to explain the goal of the specific program they identified and show how the social media
marketing campaign has been successful in reaching that goal.

2. MIT professor Sherry Turkle has written a book, Alone Together, which is highly critical

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

of social networking. She argues that the manner in which some people frenetically
communicate online using Facebook, Twitter, and text messaging is a form of modern
madness. Turkle thinks that under the illusion of enabling improved communications,
technology is actually isolating us from true human interactions. Others disagree and argue
that the use of social media has led to more communications, not less. What do you think?
Students’ responses will vary. Some students may agree with Ms. Turkle, noting that by some
estimates, women in the United States spend six-and-a-half hours each week using social media,
with men racking up more than four hours per week on social media. Those students may argue
that that time would be better spent doing things such as connecting with people in person,
engaging in physical activity, and/or volunteering in one’s community.
Other students may believe that social media serves as a powerful tool for encouraging
people to communicate and connect with people from diverse backgrounds and from countries
around the world. Such connections can be helpful for building understanding and breaking down
barriers. Social media can also be a useful tool for connecting with people in one’s immediate
community who share similar interests and goals.

3. What are the pros and cons of using paid media marketing based on cost per thousand
impressions versus cost per click? Can you define any guidelines for when you might use one
approach over the other?
Students’ answers will vary. Cost per thousand impressions (CPM) ads are billed at a flat rate per
1,000 impressions, which is a measure of the number of times an ad is displayed—whether it was
actually clicked on or not. There is no additional charge for any clicks that the ad receives. CPM
ads could prove to be more expensive initially, and it may be more difficult to do a cost-benefit
analysis for a particular ad placement especially since impressions only indicate how often an ad
was displayed, not how many people saw it (and actually read the content). However, a CPM ad
may be more likely to be placed effectively by media companies who understand that companies
will not be willing to pay on a CPM basis for ads unless they are highly likely to reach the desired
demographic. Generally, CPM ads are considered to be more effective for branding campaigns.
Cost per click (CPC) ads are paid for only when someone actually clicks on them. It is
likely easier to track the effectiveness of CPC ads, at least in terms of knowing how many
consumers actually clicked on the ad. This can help a company fine-tune its marketing efforts
since it will be getting feedback on which types of CPC ads generate the most clicks. CPC ads
are often more effective when a company is trying to promote a specific product or service to a
targeted audience.

4. Keep track of the time that you spend on social media for one week. Do you think that
this is time well spent? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary. It might be surprising to some students to learn how much time they
are actually spending on social media each week. Some students may believe that time is well
spent, while others may be motivated to cut their use of social media in order to free up some of

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

their time for other activities.

5. Develop an idea for a social media marketing campaign for one of your favorite
consumer products. Document how you would turn your message viral.
Students’ responses will vary. Viral marketing is an approach to social media marketing that
encourages individuals to pass along a marketing message to others, thus creating the potential for
exponential growth in the message’s exposure and influence as one person tells two people, each
of those two people tell two or three more people, and so on. The goal of a viral marketing
campaign is to create a buzz about a product or idea that spreads wide and fast.
Students may include the use of Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, and YouTube in
their plan to turn their message viral. Students may also identify other social media sites that
would serve as an effective base from which to launch their campaign.

6. Identify two significant advantages that social media advertising has over other forms of
advertising.
Two significant advantages that social media advertising has over more traditional forms of
advertising (such as TV, radio, and print advertising) are as follows:
 Marketers can create an opportunity to generate a conversation with the viewers of the
message.
 Messages can be targeted to reach people with the desired demographic characteristics.

7. What advice would you give a friend who is the victim of cyberstalking?
Students’ answers will vary; however, the National Center for Victims of Crime offers a detailed
set of recommended actions to combat cyberstalking, including the following:
 Contact local law enforcement authorities to obtain a restraining order prohibiting any further
contact with you.
 Inform your ISP provider as well as the stalker’s ISP. Provide the stalker a written notice that
their contact is unwanted and that all further contact must cease.
 Consider suspending your social networking accounts until the cyberstalking situation has
been resolved.
 Gather as much physical evidence as possible and document each instance of abusive contact.
 Never agree to meet with the stalker to “talk things out.”

8. What measures would you use to gauge the success of a social media promotion designed
to get people to try a new consumer product?
Students’ responses will vary. Some metrics to consider include:
 Overall sales volume—the total sales for the product during a given time period (starting
when the social media campaign begins and ending at a specific time based on when the
promotion ends)
 Sales conversion—the number of people who buy the product as a result of the campaign

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

based on surveys and online sales tracking

 Search volume—the number of people who are searching for the brand on Google
 Earned media—the number of positive reviews for the product on social shopping sites,
“likes” on Facebook, and Twitter mentions, etc.

9. What type of online information about a job candidate should employment managers
consider when screening candidates for an interview? Give three examples of information
that might be found that should automatically disqualify a candidate from a job offer. Give
three examples of online information that should increase a candidate’s chances of a job
offer.
Students’ answers will vary. Many students will likely advocate that employment managers should
only consider a candidate’s intelligence, job skills, education, employment history, and soft skills
(oral and written communication, how they interact with others, etc.). Those students may not
believe that an employer should look at a candidate’s social media activity. Others may consider
researching such activity to be a valid part of a company’s screening process since it would enable
a company to learn more about the candidate’s personality traits.
Students will likely offer a range of ideas about what types of information should
disqualify a candidate for a job interview. Common suggestions will likely include criminal
history (depending on the type of criminal activity and the type of job applied for), illegal activity
(such as using illegal drugs), and revealing confidential information about a previous employer.
Examples of online information that should increase a candidate’s chances of a job offer
could include a professional profile on the primary social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn,
Twitter, etc.); evidence that the candidate has used social media to develop their skills, promote
their employer, or engage in their professional community; and possibly even a YouTube video
demonstrating a skill that would be valuable in the workplace.

10. Review your user profile on your most frequently used social media platforms. Do you
think you need to make any changes to this profile? If so, what changes?
Students’ responses will vary, but most students will probably find some things they would want
to modify in their user profile prior to beginning a job search. Proposed changes will likely
include removing pictures and/or statements involving what might appear to a prospective
employer to be irresponsible behavior. Pictures of drunken people at parties, provocative photos,
and statements about religion or politics might be things students will say they would consider
removing before beginning a job search.

11. Check out the privacy policy of three social shopping platforms to see if they say
anything about selling user data to retailers. Write a couple of sentences summarizing your
findings.
Students’ responses will vary. Three of the many social shopping websites are:
 Fancy: May share aggregated information that does not include personal information; may

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

also disclose non-identifying information and log data with third parties for industry
analysis, demographic profiling and other purposes. Any aggregated information shared in
these contexts will not contain users’ personal information.
 OpenSky: Routinely shares the names, email addresses, and purchases of customers who
have made purchases at OpenSky with the suppliers with whom it is affiliated.
 Pinterest: Credit card and contact information are shared with merchants when someone
buys something on Pinterest—just as if the purchase had been made on the merchant’s
website, Pinterest also shares aggregated or non-personally identifiable information with
their partners and advertisers. Anyone can see the public boards and Pins that users create,
as well as each user’s profile information. Pinterest also shares this information with
“partners” through APIs.

What Would You Do?

Students’ answers will vary. Students should recognize that the ethical choice would be to refuse to
post a dishonest review. However, other students may point out that the threat of losing one’s job
because of their refusal to comply with their boss’s request is a mitigating factor. Other students might
suggest that the waiter take the opportunity to offer the manager suggestions for improvements to the
restaurant so that the reviews generated by actual customers become more positive.

Students’ responses will vary. Ideally, students could answer truthfully that their social media activity
does not reflect any embarrassing or illegal activities because they have taken the time to do a
thorough review of their social media activity prior to beginning their job search.

Students’ responses will vary. Some students might suggest just accepting the requests because they
do not believe they pose any real risk. Students will likely point out that networking through LinkedIn
is often a critical part of job searches and general professional development. Connecting on LinkedIn
with someone who has joined your organization can be a great way to increase your professional
network. Many people, however, make it a personal policy to limit their work connections to
LinkedIn, reserving Facebook and other social media for their personal life.

Students’ responses will vary. Some of them may say that what a person has experienced or done in
his or her personal life should not be taken as a benchmark to assess a candidate’s job suitability. They
may argue that doing research on social media should at most be only a small part of the company’s
screening process. In addition, the information cited does not necessarily indicate irresponsible
behavior and may not be an accurate indication of future behavior. Students may also point out that a
company cannot discriminate against someone because of their marital status.

Students’ responses will vary. Most students will likely say that what the friend is doing is unethical
and wrong. Posing as a person of the opposite sex to entice, insult, or capture attention amounts to
cyberbullying and could be illegal. At minimum, if he is discovered, the site could cancel his account.

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

Most students will probably say they would not agree to take part in the friend’s activities, and some
will also probably say they would try to convince their friend to cease his activities on the site.

Cases

Case 1: CDA Protects Social Media Companies

Students’ answers will vary. Some students’ may feel very strongly that social media companies
should not be in the business of censoring content. Those students may also point out that most social
media companies do not have the resources to ensure that content posted by terrorist and hate groups
(of which there are many) does not appear on their sites. However, other students will also likely feel
equally as strongly that social media companies in the United States should not be hosting such
content—much less making money (and helping foreign and domestic terrorist organizations and hate
groups make money) from extremist propaganda and hate speech by placing ads near such content.

Student’s responses will vary.

Students’ answers will vary depending on their research. In general, students will find that the
lawsuits mentioned in the case study are only a few of many that have been filed against social media
companies in connection with incidents of international and domestic terrorism. Most of these
lawsuits have so far been unsuccessful, although students may argue that they have spurred continued
efforts by social media companies to develop more innovative ways to cut down on terrorist content
on their sites.
In late July of 2017, a judge in Oakland, California, had begun to hear initial arguments in the
Nohemi Gonzalez case. The case involving the victims of the Pulse nightclub shootings was filed in
Michigan, and is still moving through the courts. In March 2017, the case was amended to add new
plaintiffs as well as new arguments and allegations against the social media and tech companies.

Case 2: Google Losing Revenue in Dispute over Placement of Ads

Students’ responses will vary. Title II (Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act) of the
Digital Millennium Copyright Act section enables website operators that allow users to post content
on their website (e.g., music, video, and pictures) to avoid copyright infringement liability if certain
“safe harbor” provisions are followed. Title II provides “safe harbors” for Internet service providers
(ISPs) whose customers/subscribers might be breaking copyright laws by downloading, posting,
storing, or sending copyrighted material via its services. If an ISP has knowledge of infringing
material and fails to take action to remove the material, it is not protected by the safe harbor
measures. The ISP must also comply with clearly defined “notice and takedown” procedures that
grant copyright holders a quick and simple way to halt access to allegedly infringing content.
Copyright holders are granted the right to issue subpoenas to alleged copyright holders identified
through their ISP. Title II of the DMCA also provides defined procedures for ISP users to challenge

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Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition

improper takedowns.
Companies such as Google must do a constant balancing act between what consumers think it
“should” do (and possibly what the company would prefer to do) and what it is legally able to do.
Students’ opinions on which is more of a priority will vary.

Students’ answers will vary. Google is actively researching new technologies that will allow it to
more accurately identify content that is objectionable. Such technologies likely involve the use of
facial recognition and keyword and image searches based on previously posted content that Google
identified as objectionable. Although Google and YouTube announced in June 2017 a new artificial
intelligence initiative for identifying extremist videos, some students may argue that humans are
better suited than any technology to identify such content.

Student’s answers will vary. Some students may believe that Google can and should do more to
provide guarantees to advertisers regarding the types of content their ads will appear next to. Google
has a huge financial incentive to innovate in this area so that it does not continue to lose advertising
dollars. Google could offer guarantees that focus more on how they will attempt to limit objectionable
content rather than on absolute guarantees that an ad will never appear next to content the advertiser
deems objectionable.

© 2019 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned, copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.