Ethics Issues in Social Media Research

Ethics can be defined as the moral principles that control the behavior of a person when undertaking a deed. Moreover, social media are websites and applications that allow users to communicate and share the contents. It is a significant platform that has been widely utilized as a research tool, more specifically in the health sector. So far, social media has been helpful in the society. However, it also has its negative impacts towards its users. The issue of Facebook data being made available or not has become a controversial issue that has been extensively debated. Further, there has been a report by Bowcott and Hern (2018) that Facebook users' information may have been used to influence the United States' presidential elections by Cambridge Analytica. Facebook data should not be publicly available, especially for research purposes.

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The matter is an ethical issue since it involves the use of someone's information. The data of a person on Facebook is crucial to her or him and should be respected. Therefore, there should be no utilization of information in research to perform a diagnosis and develop interventions. When a person is signing up on Facebook, the individual uses it to interact with others. Moreover, an individual gets to choose the people that can be able to view their information by sending a friend request to another person, where he or she can accept it or cancel it. That is why when joining any social media website; the user is assured that the data stored is safe and protected. Hence, it becomes an ethical issue that can be punishable by the law when other companies such as Cambridge Analytica use a person's data on Facebook (Bowcott & Hern, 2018). Additionally, social media platforms encompass everyone, including young people under the age of eighteen years and persons with disabilities. Thus, they are considered vulnerable users whose information should not be utilized without their consent.

There are various research implications, which may arise from the matter. One of them is that research will not be adequately done since the social media data is not readily available. It is unless people are asked on whether or not their information can be used in studies. Therefore, it will become difficult for scholars to perform studies. The other is that any public information collected may be untrue as people may display wrong information and hide vital data (Denecke et al., 2015). Most people have a different life on social media platform apart from their real one on the 'outside' world (McKee, 2013). Users prefer faking their information since the other users they interact with do not know them on a personal level. Therefore, research conducted using Facebook may be biased due to misleading information posted by the users in fear of being watched and their data being utilized elsewhere.

The researchers should not have access to Facebook data of the users. They do not seek consent on whether or not to utilize the information on the users. Instead, they access it and begin making their conclusions. Such approaches make the individuals that use Facebook for social use such as communication to fear using it since they are unaware of whom may be viewing their activity. Furthermore, there is panic that the information may be posted elsewhere where it may be harmful or shameful, thus destroying one's reputation (McKee, 2013). Although Facebook users feel that their content is public, there is an extent to which they feel it may be overdone. Moreover, the communication they make is public, but the method that their data is published makes them want to have restrictions on how it may be used by others (Denecke et al., 2015). Many people consider the use of their personal information in other places they are not aware of as a violation of privacy (McKee, 2013). Therefore, I advocate researchers not to have access to Facebook data.

The Institutional Review Board (IRB) is an administrative body that has the role of protecting the rights, privacy, and welfare of human research subjects (Ippoliti, 2014). It can approve, disapprove, monitor and oversee the modifications in a research activity. Additionally, the IRB has the mandate to ensure that the study is conducted following the ethical guidelines and in line with the relevant regulations (Ippoliti, 2014). Furthermore, the IRB applies to social media research since it involves the use of humans as subjects in the studies. It is responsible for ensuring the information collected through Facebook data has been consented by the users to take part in the research. There should be no utilization of information, which may cause harm to individuals. Moreover, it is responsible for ensuring the consented Facebook data by the users is kept confidential.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the data stored by Facebook should not be made publicly available, specifically for research purposes or any other aims. There should be upholding of confidentiality of information on users. Most individuals end up not feeling safe and as if their privacy has been violated. It is ethically wrong for information collected from social media sites to be utilized elsewhere without the users being aware.

References

Bowcott, O., & Hern, A. (2018). Facebook and Cambridge Analytica face class action lawsuit. The Guardian. Retrieved 13 April 2018, from https://www.theguardian.com/news/2018/apr/10/cambridge-analytica-and-facebook-face-class-action-lawsuit

Denecke, K., Bamidis, P., Bond, C., Gabarron, E., Househ, M., Lau, A. Y. S., & Hansen, M. (2015). Ethical issues of social media usage in healthcare. Yearbook of medical informatics, 10(1), 137.

Ippoliti, R. (2014). Institutional review board. Encyclopedia of Law and Economics, 1-4.

McKee, R. (2013). Ethical issues in using social media for health and health care research. Health Policy, 110(2), 298-301.