Ethics in Social Media

Social media has become such a huge part of every brand and almost all companies now use it. Companies can use it for such a large number of things like increasing web presence, sales, website traffic and many more things. According to this reading, many things have changed since social media has been introduced.

•  People have now become both producers and consumers of information
• Information has become immediately available
• The reader must now decide whether information is credible
• Readers have the ability to filter through the messages they wish to see

 Along with all of these benefits and new changes comes the responsibility of keeping things completely ethical. A brand, of course, wants to keep the most positive image for itself that it can. It is important to create a set of ethical rules for your brand to follow. Some examples include:

• Share information to give your brand a positive image
• Share information that is fair and credible, check your sources
• As hard as it is, be open to what your consumers have to say
• Respond to both negative and positive feedback you receive
• Be aware of current events impacting your audience and be sensitive to those

These guidelines seem obvious; however, there have been many times where brands have made mistakes on social media, which can be extremely detrimental and hard to manage. The bottom line, be smart and think twice before you post.. especially when it's in the name of a brand. Keep in mind the brand's identity and what they wish to portray. 

Check out another reading on how news organizations have implemented social media ethics plans.