To summarize my reflections from the past four weeks is almost as overwhelming as the new ways of thinking about how I and we behave in the information world. I honestly had not examined much of anything in terms of how I ethically proceed on the Internet. I would read a story like the one in Vanity Fair last month, “Enter the Cyber-dragon” and be curious and think “Geez, a country or nation-state shouldn’t do that, it’s terrible” or “What does this mean?” but I really never gave an in depth thought to the matter. I have my own set of morals that I abide by and have not had the opportunity before to analyze why I believe what I do, or why I should ethically consider other points of view on the subject.
The first week was difficult for me, as I was having a hard week at work and had to read and re-read this class material a couple of times. Understanding of the different frameworks has not come easily to me. As I read about ethical relativism, pluralism and absolutism, I found I don’t like subscribing to a specific set of beliefs. My own preference is to remain much more fluid. “listening for and accepting differences” is not the same as agreeing with and condoning behaviors I feel are wrong (Ess, 22). And it is quite funny, as I tell people which classes I am involved in this semester, and I say the title, Information Technology Ethics, every single person says, “Are there any?” I guess we are all trying to feel out ways to proceed in this new frontier.
The second and third weeks were a bit easier, as Ess Chapter 6 really explained the ethical theories more in depth and probed the strengths and limits of subscription to those theoretical frameworks. My classmate’s postings and responses as well as Dr. Compton’s input really clarified some discrepancies I had and created some new confusion as well! It becomes harder and harder to just say a thing or behavior is right or wrong, when you are forced to defend and explain why you believe so, or what if the tables were turned in this other direction. While I find Tavani’s explanations and definitions helpful, the writing is dry for my liking and I really have to concentrate to get through the reading. After having a week or two to digest the readings, I feel my grasp on the material getting firmer.
I feel the class as a whole really getting into the groove during the fourth week. We all can relate to illegal downloading and bring different perspectives to the beast. I really found Tavani’s explanations of patents, trademarks, and trade secrets interesting. The class postings have been great! I have shared the Paul Garrin videos with a couple of people and he and his ideas fascinate us. The Digital Fascism video was an eye-opener, as I have never before considered the possibility of the Internet being composed of “nation-states” and the flaws and controls that entails.
Ess, Charles. Digital Media Ethics: Digital Media and Society Series. 1st. Malden, MA: Polity Press, 2009. Print.
"Digital Fascism-Paul Garrin." Video. YouTube. Paul Garrin. 2008. Web. 2 Oct 2011.
Gross, Michael Joseph. "Enter the Cyber-dragon." Vanity Fair. Sep 2011: n. page. Web. 2 Oct. 2011.
Tavani, Herman T. Ethics and Technology: Controversies, Questions, and Strategies for Ethical Computing. 3rd. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc., 2011. Print.
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