Abstract
New media and technologies such as social media and online platforms are disrupting the way businesses are run and how society functions. This article advises that scholars consider the morality of new media as an area of investigation. While prior literature has given much attention to how social media provides benefits, how it affects society generally, and how it can be used efficiently, research on the ethical aspects of new media has received relatively less attention. In an age where matters such as violence, hate crimes, fake news, etc. are increasingly pervasive, we need to address the role of online technology in aiding or limiting such negative acts. In this regard, this article uses the canvas of a terror attack that was facilitated by online technology to bring to light pressing social and ethical issues in the use of new media. I draw upon 264 news articles focusing on the 2019 Christchurch terrorist attacks to piece together how the attack was orchestrated and focus on technology-enabled facets of the event. I stir discussion on the ethical aspects of technology with regard to online discrimination (known as online othering) and highlight business and other stakeholder responsibilities and challenges as technology continues to evolve and pervade our social lives.
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Notes
1newsnow (2019) ‘Full statement: Jacinda Ardern addresses Parliament on Christchurch terror attack’, URL (consulted 12 September), https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/full-statement-jacinda-ardern-addresses-parliament-christchurch-terror-attack.
The top four best companies in the world are all technological (Miller 2019).
Linked to this act of gamification is PewDiePie, which was discussed earlier. The YouTube star regularly plays out games on his channel and has a large fan base that includes white nationalists
It is in this regard that this article will also not name the terrorist.
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Rauf, A.A. New Moralities for New Media? Assessing the Role of Social Media in Acts of Terror and Providing Points of Deliberation for Business Ethics. J Bus Ethics 170, 229–251 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04635-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-020-04635-w