The impact of changes in technology on human communication, and the ethical issues that surround these changes
Significant changes in technology have occurred since the early days of my childhood. Personally, these changes have made my life a whole lot more interesting…mainly due to the fact that I’ve come to love the ability to connect with individuals all over the globe who share the same passions with me (mainly video gaming and sports). These changes are also important to me, as I have come to rely on technology such as high speed internet as a primary source of information, which has in turn allowed for me to keep up to date with news that is essential to my understanding of the issues present in the world around me. Despite these beneficial factors of the change in technology, it is evident that issues have arisen that prove to be counter productive in the manner in which society evolves.
The primary change that has ultimately occurred with the change in technology, is the newly established innovations that have led to the ease of accessibility to information. As I’ve mentioned, high speed internet has become my primary source of information. With the potential present of googling any question or concept seeks to understand, education of the global community, such as the awareness of global issues, and the collaboration of individual ideas, becomes the simplest of task and thus, it is common for the individual to seek the internet for the majority of their concerns.
Despite the feat devised that is the introduction of ease of information accessibility, ethics and moral values are challenged with the publication and distribution of certain information. As easy as it is for me to come by information that is helpful and truthful, I’m vulnerable to the exposure of false information (or information taken out of context) that solely serves the purpose of altering my perspective on certain events to mirror that of the author. With the lack of difficulty in sharing information, questions of ethical issues arise…what information can I distribute…can I modify the truth to enforce my ideas…what are the consequences of exposing the information. As stated by Dennis Muller, “It is a breach of the journalistic ethical value of responsibility to publish recklessly, carelessly and without regard to potential harm” (Muller, 2014). In saying this, Muller addresses this ethical issue of the use of technological innovation of individuals publishing information, in identifying the utilisation of such methods to be unethical.
References
Muller, D. (2014). WikiLeaks, journalism ethics and the digital age: what did we learn? The Conversation. Retrieved 16 September 2016, from https://theconversation.com/wikileaks-journalism-ethics-and-the-digital-age-what-did-we-learn-28262
