Ethical Communication and Fake News on Social Media
This paper examines the ethical dimensions of communication on social media, with particular emphasis on the spread of misinformation and fake news. Drawing on consequentialist ethical theory, the paper argues that individuals bear a personal responsibility to vet information before sharing it online. It explores how fake news proliferated during the 2016 U.S. presidential election, the real-world consequences that followed, and the limitations of relying solely on platform regulation or government intervention to address the problem. The paper also considers how fostering media skepticism, diversifying news sources, and cultivating a personal code of ethics can serve as practical safeguards against the damaging effects of online misinformation.
- Introduction: Social media, misinformation, and individual ethical obligations
- Ethical Theory and Implications: Consequentialism applied to online communication ethics
- News and Social Media: Fake news spread and the 2016 presidential election
- Ethical Consequences for the Future: Platform regulation, individual responsibility, and media skepticism
- Personal Code of Ethics: Personal values guiding social media sharing decisions
- Conclusion: Individual duty to combat misinformation online
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper grounds its ethical argument in a concrete, well-documented real-world event — the 2016 U.S. presidential election — which gives its abstract claims immediate practical weight.
- It applies a named ethical framework (consequentialism) explicitly and consistently, making the analytical logic transparent and easy to follow.
- The paper balances structural-level solutions (platform regulation, government policy) against individual-level obligations, avoiding oversimplification and acknowledging tensions such as free speech versus censorship.
- Quotations are integrated purposefully, with each supporting a specific argumentative claim rather than padding the discussion.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates applied ethical analysis: it selects an ethical framework (consequentialism), explains its core logic, and then systematically applies it to a contemporary social phenomenon. This move — from theory to application to policy implication — is a hallmark of undergraduate applied ethics writing and gives the argument a clear, replicable structure.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a framing introduction that states the thesis and scope. It then establishes the theoretical foundation (consequentialism and ethical discernment), moves into a case-study section on fake news during the 2016 election, and follows with a forward-looking section on practical and policy responses. A brief personal-code-of-ethics section connects abstract principles to individual conduct, and the conclusion synthesizes the argument around collective responsibility and personal accountability.
Introduction
"Almost a quarter of the world's population is now on Facebook. In the USA, nearly 80% of all internet users are on this platform. Because social networks feed off interactions among people, they become more powerful as they grow" (Gaitho, 2018). Social media has created a manifestation of a branch of society that human civilization has never had to deal with before. Because society is simultaneously experiencing and attempting to scrutinize the impacts of social media, it can be harder to pinpoint all the numerous ways it affects both the individual and the collective.
One phenomenon that has grown out of social media is that people don't only share information about themselves and their personal lives — they also share information, articles, and images about various aspects of the shared world. This can be problematic, as many people don't verify the factual accuracy of what they post, something that can lead to the widespread dissemination of untrue information accepted as fact. The negative impacts upon society are substantial.
This paper will explore the nuances inherent in ethical communication — such as how truth is foundational and how social media posts that portray negative or misleading suggestions about people and issues can have an adverse impact on society. Ultimately, it will argue that the individual has distinct ethical obligations when it comes to the information they share on social media, because the sharing of inaccurate information has real, negative consequences for the general public.
References
Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. doi:10.3386/w23089
Drushel, B. E., & German, K. (2011). The ethics of emerging media: Information, social norms, and new media technology. New York: Bloomsbury Publishing.
Gaitho, M. (2018, September 12). What is the real impact of social media? Retrieved from https://www.simplilearn.com/real-impact-social-media-article
Kurtzleben, D. (2018, April 11). Did fake news on Facebook help elect Trump? Here's what we know. Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/2018/04/11/601323233/6-facts-we-know-about-fake-news-in-the-2016-election
Tompkins, P. S. (2019). Practicing communication ethics: Development, discernment, and decision making.
utm.edu. (n.d.). Ethics | Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Retrieved from https://www.iep.utm.edu/ethics/#SH2c
West, D. M. (2017, December 18). How to combat fake news and disinformation. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/research/how-to-combat-fake-news-and-disinformation/
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