User-generated ethics?

The study ‘Web 2.0 and Media Ethics’ (2007) by Professor Sabine Trepte of the Hamburg Media School is the first to take an empirical approach to users’ expectations and the debates on media ethics online. The study examines what expectations Web 2.0 users have regarding privacy, what media ethics standards Web 2.0 users adhere to, and whether bloggers discuss issues relating to media ethics.

The authors assume that media ethics to date has been the preserve of traditional media, for which, for example, the Press Code has developed as a consensual ethical benchmark for media reporting.

Now, the new forms of communication in Web 2.0 lie at the interface between individual and mass communication, meaning they are subject to ongoing processes of negotiation regarding how users interact with one another. As Web 2.0 enables user participation – for example, through blogs, wikis, video communities or social networking sites – discourses on media ethics are an integral part of users’ self-image.

But how do Web 2.0-savvy internet users differ from those who make less use of user-generated content in terms of their concepts of privacy and their general set of values?

Web 2.0 and privacy – not a space for exhibitionism

A large proportion of the content on private blogs consists of information about the authors’ private lives and personal experiences; moreover, the authors do not remain anonymous but provide clues as to their real identities.

During the survey period from early July to mid-August 2007, a total of 702 internet users were questioned about their affinity for Web 2.0 and their notions of privacy. The findings revealed that Web 2.0 users demonstrate a greater willingness to disclose personal information, both online and offline, than users who are less familiar with Web 2.0. However, Web 2.0 is not a space for exhibitionism. There is no significant difference between Web 2.0-savvy and non-savvy users in terms of their psychological need for privacy. Rather, Web 2.0 producers (active bloggers) are constantly walking a tightrope between their need to communicate and their need for privacy.

It is also noteworthy that Web 2.0 consumers (as opposed to producers) are most willing to compromise when it comes to privacy protection: they use other people’s private information, but do not have to bear any risks themselves.

User-generated content vs. daily newspapers – the same quality standards

The online survey conducted as part of the study initially also showed that journalistic quality criteria and the press code are considered more important for evaluating a daily newspaper article than for evaluating a blog post. Above all, those who do not use Web 2.0 expect lower standards from blog posts.

Nevertheless, the evaluation of articles from a daily newspaper and blog posts is the same and is presumably based on the same ethical standards.

In a laboratory experiment involving 120 students from Hamburg, source information and ethical dubiousness were systematically manipulated. The results showed that ethically dubious content is rated just as negatively on Web 2.0 as it is in a daily newspaper.

User-generated ethics – greater responsibility for readers

In a study of 111 blog posts with 330 associated comments, the researchers also examined the extent to which bloggers discuss media ethics issues or even develop specific, internet-related ethical standards.

The study concludes that media ethics plays a central role in the blogosphere: discussions on media ethics are part of users’ daily lives. However, blogging is often prompted by personal experiences – abstract, purely media-ethical debates are rare. Nor do traditional media serve as role models for bloggers.

Particularly important issues in this context include the protection of one’s own privacy and that of others, the labelling of advertising and PR, and the protection of freedom of expression.

Compared with traditional media, bloggers place greater emphasis on the personal responsibility of all those involved. Consequently, the publication of Tim O’Reilly’s proposal for a blogger’s code of conduct on 31 March 2007 – which fell within the study period – was largely rejected in the posts examined. Bloggers see themselves as more committed to individual ethics than to professional ethics. Furthermore, the audience is regarded as an equal partner in the publication process.