The Reality of Social Media: Friend or Foe?

Jaqueiry Medina 22-0684

Ethics
Teacher: Maria Mimnell
Section: 30

February 2023
Universidad Iberoamericana

 The Reality of Social Media: Friend or Foe?

Social Media and its uses

Social media is an online platform that enables users to share information and connect with other
people. It has become an integral part of our lives, and we can't function without it. People have
different uses for social media such as socializing, communicating and sharing information. It has
revolutionized communication and information sharing in the modern world. People use social
media platforms such as: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and Snapchat to share pictures
and videos of their daily lives with others. This has led to a surge in the creation of content and has
caused a dramatic increase in the number of users worldwide. The widespread accessibility of
mobile devices also contributes to the growth of social media use. For these reasons, it's important
to consider the benefits of using social media while maintaining a sense of responsibility regarding
its uses.

First of all, “ethics is the concept of what is good, bad, right, and wrong. In social media, the right
ethic equals the right perspective and the right thinking on how to leverage social media
appropriately and how to engage people in the right manner.” (Ethics and Etiquettes at work, how
much do you know?, 2020). It is essential to remember that every time you connect with a social
network, you are joining a community. You should make sure to always treat other individuals with
respect and kindness, and last but not least it is of the utmost importance to respect the
parameters of others.

Most people use social media for entertainment, marketing and social connections. However, there
are also negative aspects to social media that need to be considered, since it holds a stereotype
that harms most of the young society around the globe. The reason being that social media and
social platforms play a big role in our lives and like I mentioned previously, a lot of people can’t
function without it. Also, many people misuse it by posting inappropriate content or connecting with
strangers inappropriately. In essence, social media is a powerful tool that can either bring people
together or drive them apart based on how they use it.

Social Media and the real world: How to tell them apart?
It is crucial to understand the difference between social media platforms and the real world. Social
media is a global online environment that allows users to interact with each other via messages
and posts. This is separate from real life interactions where people meet face-to-face and speak
directly to each other. Therefore, it's best to keep your personal and professional lives separate on
social media platforms so you don't compromise any security measures you have set up for your
real life accounts. Users should understand how social media can be used for positive purposes
such as sharing information or maintaining relationships with loved ones. Nevertheless, this is
difficult to do if you misuse it by sharing inappropriate content or connections with strangers.
Ultimately, users should also know when to use social media for entertainment and when to use it
for work purposes.
2

Another factor that we must take in consideration is the professional behavior and the use of ethics
in every aspect of our lives. In certain circumstances the inappropriate use of social networks can
offer a place for ethical violations. Examples of such violations include proclaiming distinctive
personal information about your consumers or subjects of inquiry that violates confidentiality and
misrepresenting to the public the services you offer, the products you sell, or your level of
experience. Posting insulting or offensive opinions, including writing such remarks in other peoples
posts, in most cases does not violate the ideal ethical behavior, even if doing so, it doesn’t engage
in civil discourse. If these comments are found to constitute defamation, their posting would be
considered a violation of the ethical behavior a virtuous person should always follow.

To avoid all of these negative situations we should learn about the main principles of social media
ethics, which are:

• Authenticity. Being authentic means being loyal to an original or a reliable, accurate

representation and expressing how you actually feel and what you are.
• Transparency. It is the description of how values are embodied and demonstrated on a day-to-
day basis and being honest not only with other people but with yourself.
• Kindness. This virtue represents a character that leads itself into ethical decisions.

We must follow those principals to not let social media consume our lives, since many people get
confused with the reality of social media and REAL life; others tent to let what they see online
affect them. Scenarios like bad comments, feeling exposed or even feeling envious of someone
else’s “lifestyle” are real aspects why people let social media become their reality.

Social media can be used for many “good or wrong” purposes, but the key to take advantage of it
in the best way is to learn how to manage it and don’t let it control your mind. Sometimes it could
be hard to control your feelings and not let them get over your head, nevertheless, being virtuous
and not violating the ethical behavior is always a profitable way of protecting yourself and others.
When it comes to social media, not only what other people do and how it affects us negatively
should matter to ourselves, but how we act, adding the fact that social media increases the
possibilities of self-sabotage, many people tent to offset with others, harming them with no right.
Also, if you have a platform which you can use to influence others, you ought to behave well and
always follow the principles of social media ethics, but always putting yourself first without putting
others down.

To conclude with this reasoning I would like to remark that social media users should be warned
about the misuse or excessive use of social media due to the potentially detrimental effect on their
psychological peace, self-esteem and happiness, since it has been determined that social media
interferes in Aristotle’s “good life”, because of the users vulnerability to cyberbullying, addiction to
the internet and many other factors that increases the chance of people feeling miserable.
3

​​

 References

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2016). Issues in Ethics: Ethical Use of Social

Media. https://www.asha.org/practice/ethics/ethical-use-of-social-media/

Centre, T. E. (2021, 27 enero). Ethics Explainer: Authenticity. THE ETHICS CENTRE. https://
ethics.org.au/ethics-explainer-authenticity/

Edmonds, David. (2019). Ethics and the contemporary world. London: Routledge.

Ethics and Etiquettes at work, how much do you know? (2020). https://www.samsoyombo.com/
starting-grounding-you

Lenhart, A. (2019, 31 diciembre). Chapter 4: Social Media and Friendships. Pew Research Center:
Internet, Science & Tech. https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2015/08/06/chapter-4-social-
media-and-friendships/

The Ethics of Kindness. (2020). Ethics Sage. https://www.ethicssage.com/2020/07/the-ethics-of-

kindness.html

Wilson, D. H. (2022). The Negative Effect of Social Media on Aristotle’s “Good Life”: Psychological,
Sociological, and Philosophical Perspectives. Encompass. https://encompass.eku.edu/
honors_theses/600/