Consider the ethical dilemmas that social media presents:
a lack of transparency on who is behind the account;
not reporting endorsements, especially if they are paid;
consumer privacy breaches;
and a misrepresentation of a brand or organization.
The Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) created this list as September was “Ethics Month” for PRSA. It hopes to educate communication professionals on the importance of identifying examples of improper practices on social media, outline best practices to ethically use the medium in public relations, and promote leadership in the implementation of social media policies.
PRSA suggests creating a social media policy and guidelines. According to Michelle Ewing, an associate professor and public relations-sequence coordinator in the School of Journalism & Mass Communication at Kent State University, “[It] is an important step to ensure ethical decision-making when using social media. It will inspire ethical employee advocacy, promote behaviors in the best interest of stakeholders and minimize reputational risks for an organization.”
PRSA’s Social Media Committee is working on resources to provide guidance on ethical issues and promote best practices for social media. It will be available soon, along with other resources, here.