GE ELECT IT LIVING IN THE IT ERA

LESSON 4: ETHICS

AILENE S. BOBIER
Faculty, Computer Studies Department
College of Sciences
PSU Main Campus
Corporate Email: a_sibayan@psu.palawan.edu.ph
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
After reading this Lesson you will be able to:
• Define Ethics

• Understand ICT and Human Society

• Understand Netiquette Commandments

INTRODUCTION
• It wasn’t too long ago when computers, much less the high degree of
connectivity granted by ICT, didn't exist. Watch any movie from the 1970’s or
early 1980’s, and you’ll realize that people used typewriters and not personal
computers in the office. There was no such thing as e-mail back then; letters
were sent through the post office and the transit time for letters ranged from a
few days and letters which were delivered through inefficient postal service
systems.
INTRODUCTION
• Nowadays, all that is needed to get in touch with someone on the side of the
world is a working personal computer with the appropriate messaging or
email software and an internet connection, with webcam optional. The
subsequent swift transfer of information seems to neutralize the vast physical
distances on this planet (it still takes 14 hours to fly across the Pacific, after
all), and social barrier are breached. But while advancements in technology
may have people feel that the world has become a smaller place, ethics is
still necessary when using ICT.
DEFINING ETHICS
• The dictionary defines “ethics” as “the principles of conduct governing an
individual or group,” and there are many ways of describing ethics, such as
“code of conduct,” “morality,” “principles,” “standards,” and “manners.” The
essential requirement of ethics, therefore, is to provide a framework within
which an organization can function in such a way that it can achieve its
objectives.
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY
• Being social creatures by way of natural programming, humans have always
looked for ways to expand their social horizons and have used technology to
expand their reach. For a large part of our history, the written word was used
as one such way, with people writing letters to each other. Then, when
telephone came along, people spent hours on the telephone, sometimes
monopolizing it to the detriment of other people who would use it at that
particular time (from which the term telebabad sprang).
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY (cont.)
• And when the personal computer, with enormous convergence-based power
to connect people to each other, became widespread, people naturally
turned to it to expand their social reach.
• In truth, ICT provides solutions to some social problems. With ICT, people
can conduct their business from the house, in a phenomenon called
telecommuting, in which one can communicate with co-workers from one’s
own home using a video camera and a speaker interface for meeting, and
with faxes and e-documents for other work-related activities.
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY (cont.)
• This saves money, since the telecommuter doesn't need to spend on gas
and other transportation related expenses, and also time, since that person
doesn't have to waste hours in traffic.

• One of the trend toward telecommuting is that workers can now operate
from their homes. Telecommuting will then strengthen family bonds and give
workers a greater degree of control over their work and environment than
would otherwise be available in an office environment.
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY (cont.)
• That said, ICT also has other effects on human society. ICT can aid in
breaking down social barriers for the betterment of society. By
communicating with someone of another culture, for example, a person can
get an insight he or she normally wouldn’t get in everyday society.

• Somehow, talking to a person through a computer doesn't occur to a lot of

people as being as real as talking to someone face-to-face.
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY (cont.)
• There are many cases of people revealing on their social website account
things that they wouldn’t reveal to total strangers in a face to face meeting.
The use of such devices as avatars and fake identities to hide one’s real
identity to say and do things that he or she normally wouldn’t say or do,
such as cursing or stalking.
ICT AND HUMAN SOCIETY (cont.)
• Information theft and invasion of privacy have become big issues in
today’s world. With the popularity of e-commerce, the theft of credit card
numbers and other financial information have led to several arrests all over
the world.
• Nor are computers the only ICT devices which are in widespread use. The
cell phone is another ICT device which can be misused by people, as
anyone who has heard a cell phone ringing loudly in a movie house can
attest.
ICT ETHICS
• The social issues surrounding the use of ICT devices have resulted in the
need for “netiquette,” which is a portmanteau of the words “Internet” and
“Etiquette”. While these were intended mainly for interaction over the
Internet, the general principles apply to all communications conducted
through ICT.
ICT ETHICS: An official list of Netiquette commandments is summarized as follows.
1. Remember the human. You are communicating with another human being
on the other end of the Internet, someone who has feelings like you do.

2. Adhere to the same standards of behavior online that you follow in

real life. Act within the laws of society and cyberspace, never outside them.

3. Know where you are in cyberspace. What’s perfectly acceptable in one

area may not be in another.
ICT ETHICS: An official list of Netiquette commandments is summarized as follows. (cont.)
4. Respect other people’s time and bandwidth. Other people may not share
the same concerns and interests as you do , or may not have the same amount
of time and money available to you. You are not the center of the space.

5. Make yourself look good online. Know what you’re talking about, make
sense when your write, and be pleasant and polite.

6. Share expert advice. Sharing what you know is a well established tradition
on the Internet and makes the world a better place.
ICT ETHICS: An official list of Netiquette commandments is summarized as follows. (cont.)
7. Help keep the flame wars under control. “Flaming” is the expression of a
strongly held opinion without holding back on the emotion. While flaming may
be acceptable, flame wars – which can come in the form of series of angry
letter, most of the from two or three people directed toward each other – can
destroy the camaraderie of a group.

8. Respect other people’s privacy. Would you go through other people’s

diaries? If not, would you go through their e-mail?
ICT ETHICS: An official list of Netiquette commandments is summarized as follows. (cont.)
9. Don’t abuse your power. This applies particularly to such people as systems
administrators, who can handle entire ICT systems.

10. Be forgiving of other people’s mistakes. Everyone was a newbie once. And
if you have to correct someone for a mistake, do so politely and by private
message.

11. The use of all caps is considered shouting.

Leetspeak, Jejemon
INTRODUCTION
• Everyone started using devices like cell phones and instant messaging
programs at one time in their life. For beginners, it can be a surprise to see
words and sentences typed and appearing in computers and other devices
of communication, which are hard to understand. If you know what “hu u”
and “k” means, then you’re definitely no beginner and must likely find it easy
to translate “5ive”, “3sme” and “hu1”, and “4um” as the words “five”,
“threesome”, “Juan”, and “forum”, respectively. If that’s the case, then good
for you.
INTRODUCTION (cont.)
• Unfortunately, not everyone can read or correctly interpret words and terms
used in communication devices like computers and cell phones.

LEETSPEAK

• The need to improvise in order to be able to send typed messages quickly

has resulted in alternate alphabets used to communicate. There’s leet or
leetspeak, which uses numbers, or more specifically ASCII characters, in
place with letters. In leet, the word “fleet” would be typed as “f733t”.
INTRODUCTION (cont.)
JEJEMON
• Jejemon, a kind of leetspeak for texting, came to be popular with the young
crowd to the dismay of parents and educators. In Jejemon, even letter
pronounciation and capitalization are modified such that “hehehe” is typed
“jejeje,” hence the term jejemon.
• Fun and useful as this way of messaging is, Jejemon has earned the ire of
proponents of correct speech because it brings down language, both English
and vernacular, to a level that’s below what’s acceptable.
INTRODUCTION (cont.)
For practical purposes, shortcuts and abbreviations may be used in
communicating in this age of the Internet, but it should be done in context and
only when necessary so that the meaning of the words won’t lost in a mishmash
of letters and numbers.
INTRODUCTION (cont.)
Emoticons can help out where netiquette is concerned. 93% of all human
communication is nonverbal in nature, which includes body language and facial
expressions. Since you cannot paste your facial expression directly on a written
message, emoticons, which are symbolic images of expressions and emotions,
can help the person understand where you’re coming from.
EMOJI VS EMOTICONS
• But the difference between them
is actually very
simple: emoticons are
combinations of symbols available
on your keyboard, like letters and
punctuation marks, while emojis
are pictures.
TRY TO ANSWER THE QUESTION BELOW (I just want you to think about it.)

• What are some of the things that you

think shouldn’t be put on the Internet?
THE GIST
• Ethics is very important when using ICT, as we deal not with the machine
but with the person on the other end of the line, a person who has feelings
just like you. There is no law regarding ethics over the internet, but there are
rules set by various groups and organizations which anyone can follow.
Following these rules is valuable practice in order to stay within the bounds
of existing laws.
THE GIST
• Abbreviations and combinations of • BTW: by the way
letters and number can also be • IMHO: in my humble opinion
used as a substitute for nonverbal • W8: wait
communication. Some examples:
• L8R: later
• BRB: be right back

• LOL: laughing out loud

• ROTEL: rolling on the floor laughing

Written Output 2
• Short quiz

• Wait for the schedule.

REFERENCES
• Jaime D. L. Caro et al (2008). ICT and Society (3rd Ed). Philippines:
TechFactors, INC

• Learn English Network. (2010). 10 Commandments of Netiquette. Retrieved

July 20, 2010, from Have Fun With English: http://www.fun-with-
English.co.uk/2004/12/10-commandments-of-netiquette.html

• Merriam –Webster. (2010). Ethics. Retrieved August 11, 2010, from

Merriam-Webster Online: http://www.merriam.com/dictionary/ethics
 THE END!
THANK YOU.
AILENE S. BOBIER
Faculty, Computer Studies Department
College of Sciences
PSU Main Campus
Corporate Email: a_sibayan@psu.palawan.edu.ph