Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 The Political Significance of Social Media and the Limits of Our Understanding
- 2 The Moral Significance of Social Networking Technologies
- 3 Why We Do What We Do
- 4 Time Consciousness and the Specious Present of Social Media
- 5 Pretty Is as Pretty Does
- 6 Revealing the Moral Self in the Context of Us
- Bibliography
- Index
2 - The Moral Significance of Social Networking Technologies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 07 June 2018
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Introduction
- 1 The Political Significance of Social Media and the Limits of Our Understanding
- 2 The Moral Significance of Social Networking Technologies
- 3 Why We Do What We Do
- 4 Time Consciousness and the Specious Present of Social Media
- 5 Pretty Is as Pretty Does
- 6 Revealing the Moral Self in the Context of Us
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
On Christmas Day in 2010, Simone Back, a 42-year-old social worker in the United Kingdom, updated her Facebook status: “took all my pills, be dead soon, bye bye everyone.” Simone had 1082 friends on Facebook, but instead of prompting a reaction or response to this cry for help, the message provoked an online debate on Simone's Facebook wall. Some friends mocked or openly doubted the sincerity of the attempt, and others suggested that previous responders would soon regret their comments if the message was, in fact, sincere. To the observers, the event was seemingly abstracted and objectified. No one called for help or attempted to contact Simone by other means, despite the fact that several friends lived within walking distance of Simone's apartment. Seventeen hours later, Simone's mother was informed of the status update via a text message, and police found Simone dead shortly after. Simone's mother was, of course, left baffled as to why none of her daughter's “friends” did anything to help. In this case, connectivity did not equate to community, care or responsibility (Miller, 2015).
Are social networking technologies to blame for the death of Simone Back? The easy answer is no, but the possible answer is yes, because of the moral influence social media has on us. But understanding this influence is more difficult than it seems. According to Enlightenment thinking, morality is portrayed as the sole province of the moral subject who, unlike the material object of technology, possesses consciousness, intentionality, and free will, all of which are necessary for the attribution of moral responsibility. This classical framework puts humans squarely in control over the development and deployment of technology and the responsibility for its consequences rests on our shoulders. At every stage of technological evolution, we see ourselves as the cause behind the effects of technology, directing it toward the ends we envision, either good or bad. The way we think about our relationship with technology, however, also informs and, more importantly, misinforms the solutions we apply to the human behaviors taking shape on the Internet.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Social Media and MoralityLosing our Self Control, pp. 62 - 89Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2018