Examining students’ social media use and ethical awareness: Class activities and “Coastal Succulents”

Abstract

Young adults and teenagers spend a significant amount of time each day using social media, but very few of them have thought about the ethical implications of what they post or view on these platforms. This activity provides students with the opportunity to (1) log and evaluate the amount of time and types of posts they are creating on social media, and (2) view a made-up social media story from Snapchat where student can assess their own ethical sensitivity (Rest, J. R. (1983). Morality. In P. H. Mussen (Ed.), Handbook of child psychology: Vol. 3: Cognitive development 4th ed. (pp. 556–629). John Wiley) for a variety of ethical issues.

Courses:

Communication Ethics, Social Media and Communication, Communication, Diversity, and Inclusion.

Objectives:

The objectives of this single-class activity are to: (1) reflect on one’s own usage and communication behavior on social media; (2) identify and reflect on ethical dilemmas and moral awareness; (3) discuss the intersections of communication ethics and social media; and (4) articulate how social media and digitally mediated communication impact communication ethics and communication behavior.

Acknowledgments

Special thanks to Jessica Jiang (B.S., Pepperdine University, 2018) for her work directing and producing the video and to the students listed in the video credits for participating in the production.