Overview
In 1500 words, students will identify and discuss some of the main ethical challenges that might emerge from researching ONE of these three communities:
- A subreddit (sub-section of Reddit) dedicated to discussing a particular conspiracy theory
- The comments made by Instagram users on a celebrity’s (e.g. Taylor Swift’s) posts
- Tweets published by major political figures (e.g., Prime Ministers or Presidents)
These challenges might include things like obtaining informed consent, preserving social media users’ anonymity, protecting vulnerable people, identifying underage users, deciding if the content is ‘public’ or ‘private’, amplifying contentious topics or voices, and defining who counts as a ‘public figure’.
Students must use a minimum of seven academic sources in their report. You are also asked to include a screenshot of a mySkills reflection about this assessment – this aspect of your submission is unmarked and has no bearing on your final grade.