OGL 481 Pro-Seminar I:

PCA-Ethical Communities Worksheet

Worksheet Objectives:
1. Understand the four ethical communities
2. Apply an ethical community to your personal case situation

Complete the following making sure to support your ideas and cite from the textbook and other
course materials per APA guidelines. After the peer review, you have a chance to update this and
format for your Electronic Portfolio due in Module 6.

1) Briefly restate your situation from Module 1 and your role.

“X” formally known as “Twitter” is a social media platform that owner Elon Musk
bought a little over a year ago promising to be a true free speech platform that would
allow news to be spread across the platform without being labeled as “misinformation”
purely based off it’s ideological position. The takeover was a massive one due to the
billionaire owner already owning other major companies and the massive layoff and
firing of employees that soon followed.

My role in this situation is purely an outsider role, as a user of the platform, I am just
making an observation into this situation and how it has impacted the company as I see it.

2) Describe how the ethics of the organization influenced the situation.

Elon Musk's decision to buy Twitter for a the amount of $44 billion in 2022 stirred
significant debate and speculation on his motive behind the move. This decision was not
solely driven by financial gain but also by a vision to reshape the digital space of the
internet and social media. Musk's ambition was the desire to create an expansive
'everything app,' that was driven by the desire to create a platform that expanded
conventional social media boundaries that were similar to China's “WeChat”. Musk
wanted to address what he perceived as a growing concern that was censorship on the
platform. In multiple public statements, he highlighted the important role Twitter plays as
a digital “town square”, and emphasized the need for trust and the inclusion of diverse
perspectives. His amition also brought to light more discussions around online freedom
of speech and the responsibilities of tech platforms in facilitating true open dialogue.

The release of the "Twitter Files," which was a series of internal documents shedding
light on Twitter's decision making processes regarding issues with influential accounts,

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 further fueled Musk's determination. These documents, shared with select journalists,
revealed insights into how the platform “managed controversial topics and engaged with
high-profile individuals like Hunter Biden and former President Donald Trump”
(Krietzberg, 2023). For Musk, the acquisition wasn't merely a strategic business move,
but a stand for free expression. Musk's decision to buy Twitter represented a step towards
reshaping the digital landscape that was driven by a vision of building trust, diversity, and
free expression in the digital space of the internet and social media.

3) Recommend how you would apply one of the ethical community metaphors (see
Exhibit 20.1 in Bolman and Deal) for an alternative course of action regarding your
case.

I would apply the “Family” metaphor for an alternative course of action in regards to this
situation. If I had been in the same position that Elon found himself in, the decision to
buy a social media platform in the name of “free speech” seems like one that was done
for the common good, or was I would have put it “my extended family”. Within any
family frame, showing compassion for the welfare, even if it is the online welfare, for the
people who use the platform could have created support for the idea. Due to people
feeling that the decision was made in their best interest or at least with their interest in
mind.

As from the reading, “Love is largely absent in modern corporations” which is why most
of people inside the organization feel unvaulued or even forgotten about. If a decision
like this was reframed in a manner that people felt “cared about” then an experienced
sense of unity would follow.

4) Reflect on what you would do or not do differently given what you have learned
about ethics.

Musk's decision to buy Twitter raises a number of ethical questions. While his goal to
want to create a safe digital space for free speech and challenge censorship is great in
theory, the impact of holding the power over such a massive platform raises concerns for
others. As Twitter changes under Musk's leadership, it's important to keep an eye on how
his decisions affect users and society. Is this really going to be a space that is free of
censorship? Or will it allow for other forms of hate speech to go unchecked? There has to
be guilines to what is allowed. I am all for the freedom of speech, however, free speech
does not include hate speech. In our civilized society, people should be able to express
views and create dialoge without being censored, but not if that means they can spew
hate. That is were a line can be drawn.

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 Reference or References

Krietzberg, I. (2023). Watch: Elon Musk comes clean on why he bought Twitter - Thestreet. Elon
Musk Comes Clean on Why He Bought Twitter.
https://www.thestreet.com/social-media/watch-elon-musk-comes-clean-on-why-he-bought-
twitter