A few words on ethics in a digital context...

In today's discussion, one issue that arose was the ethics of relating narrative in a digital context.   Thanks to technology, we have the ability to share oursleves and stories with the world.  Once we put ourselves 'out there' we have little control where it goes and/or how we are perceived. Digital communication has re-defined Descartes' idea of reality ('je pense donc je suis') to now encompass  the notion of perception as part of that reality ("I am perceived, therefore I am"- (MacKinnon, 1998, as cited in Markham, 2008).  Navigating the ethics of presenting another person in a digital context- and particularly online- is a delicate issue- but also a very important one- particularly because of the ease and elusiveness of the dissemination of information on the Web. In my opinion, the heart of this issue is trust and consideration. This applies both to a research and to a teaching context.

Markham (2008) notes the importance in research of upholding this right to privacy, even if this means a loss in terms of what the research's potential to benefit the greater community. As researchers, the participants in our studies must know that they can trust us to do everything possible to portray their contributions (and thus, the participants themselves) as accurately as possible- while at the same time, ensuring that we keep our word as to where and how these portrayals will be shared.  Although the intellectual property we create from our inquiries may belong to us (the researchers), the identity of the individuals in our studies still belong to them, the participants. We must take care to protect that relationship.  If not, the future of research is endangered because this relationship hinges on the willingess of the participant to give and the accountability of the researcher to take and to share, but also to protect.

In the same token, the relationship between teacher and student in this context is somewhat similar. There are amazing tools on the web that can be manipulated for creative and collaborative student use, however not all of them adhere to FOIP (or FIPPA as we call it in MB) standards. Teachers have a responsibility to uphold these standards because there is a relationship of trust and accountability that has been established to protect that child's identity. We cannot afford to be reckless for the sake of a 'neat lesson plan' that uses questionable technology that might endanger the privacy of the child in our care.

As I shared in class, blogs and other social media have enabled people to tell their own stories. Not everyone takes into consideration that sometimes in telling their stories, they are also sharing about others who may not have given consent for their identity to be put 'out there' on the web. I gave the example of the adoptive mother who blogged about sensitive details of her adopted child's social history and the intimate details of her and her husband's challenges in conceiving a child. This example to me is case in point. The woman blogs because she feels the need to share her voice and perhaps to reach out to those who have also gone through such challenging experiences. She may also share her story with the intent of offering hope to others who are interested in adopting or struggling with infertility. Although her husband may have given consent to her sharing their personal life online, the child is a different story. By publicly sharing the story of her child, however, she has suddenly opened that child's identity to the entire online world (whatever that means) - and that child had no say in the matter. Well intended perhaps, but reckless. We can't afford to be too careful in such matters. It's hard to 'take things back' once they are published on the web. Many people have unfortunately had to learn this lesson the hard way.

Markham, A. N. (2008). The methods, politics and ethics of representation in online ethnography. Collecting and interpreting qualitative materials (3rd ed., pp. 247-284). Los Angeles, London, New Delhi, Singapore: Sage