Charles Ess - Digital Media Ethics

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2 Title page Digital Media Ethics Third Edition charles ess polity

3 Copyright page Copyright page Copyright © Charles Ess 2020 The right of Charles Ess to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted in accordance with the UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. First published in 2009 by Polity Press This edition published in 2020 by Polity Press Polity Press 65 Bridge Street Cambridge CB2 1UR, UK Polity Press 101 Station Landing Suite 300 Medford, MA 02155, USA All rights reserved. Except for the quotation of short passages for the purpose of criticism and review, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3342-8 ISBN-13: 978-1-5095-3343-5(pb) A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. Typeset in 10.25 on 13pt Scala by Fakenham Prepress Solutions, Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 8NL Printed and bound in Great Britain by TJ International Limited The publisher has used its best endeavors to ensure that the URLs for external websites referred to in this book are correct and active at the time of going to press. However, the publisher has no responsibility for the websites and can make no guarantee that a site will remain live or that the content is or will remain appropriate. Every effort has been made to trace all copyright holders, but if any have been overlooked the publisher will be pleased to include any necessary credits in any subsequent reprint or edition. For further information on Polity, visit our website: politybooks.com

4 In memoriam In memoriam Barbara Becker (1955–2009): gifted and energetic philosopher, among the earliest to conjoin phenomenology, embodiment, and computational technologies in what proved to be prophetic and prescient ways Preston K. Covey, Jr. (1942–2006): pioneer in conjoining philosophy and computation, including ethics, questions of democracy, and educational computing, and co-founder of what is now the International Association for Computing and Philosophy (IACAP) Henry Rosemont, Jr. (1934–2017): leading authority in Chinese philosophy, tireless promoter of comparative philosophy and the liberal arts, inspiring activist and most generous mentor Brilliant colleagues, generous and patient teachers, good friends: their spirits and guiding insights inform and inspire much of my life as well as this book.

5 Foreword by Luciano Floridi

6 Preface to the Third Edition Notes

7 Acknowledgments

8 1 Central Issues in the Ethics of Digital Media Chapter overview Case-study: Amanda Todd and Anonymous Introduction (Ethical) life in the (post-)digital age? 1. Digital media, analogue media: convergence and ubiquity 2. Digital media and “greased information” 3. Digital media as communication media: fluidity, ubiquity, global scope, and selfhood/identity Digital media ethics: How to proceed? Is digital media ethics possible? Grounds for hope How to do ethics in the new mediascape: Dialogical approaches, difference, and pluralism Further considerations: Ethical judgments Overview of the book, suggestions for use Chapter arrangement, reading suggestions Case-studies; discussion/reflection/writing/research questions Notes

9 2 Privacy in the (Post-)Digital Era? Chapter overview Information and privacy in the global digital age“Privacy” and anonymity online – is there any? Interlude: Can we meaningfully talk about “culture?” “Privacy” in the global metropolis: Initial considerations You don’t have to be paranoid – but it helps ... If you’re not paranoid yet ... terrorism and state surveillance “Privacy” and private life: Changing attitudes in the age of social media and mobile devices “Privacy” and private life: Cultural and philosophical considerations “Privacy” and private life: First justifications, more cultural differences – transformations and (over-?)convergence “Privacy” and private life: Cultural differences and ethical pluralism Philosophical and sociological considerations: New selves, new “privacies?” 1. Culture? 2. The privacy paradox Notes

10 3 Copying and Distributing via Digital Media: Copyright, Copyleft, Global Perspectives Chapter overview The ethics of copying: Is it theft, Open Source, or Confucian homage to the master?Intellectual property: Three (Western) approaches (a)Copyright in the United States and Europe (b)Copyleft/FLOSS FLOSS in practice: the Linux operating system FLOSS in practice 2. Intellectual property and culture: Confucian ethics and African thought Notes

11 4 Friendship, Death Online, Slow/Fair Technology, and Democracy Chapter overview Friendship online? Initial considerations Friendship online: Additional considerations Friendship – and death – online Slow technology and the Fairphone Case-study: Are you ethically obliged to purchase a Fairphone? Digital media and democratization: First considerations Democracy, technology, cultures Notes

12 5 Still More Ethical Issues: Digital Sex, Sexbots, and Games Chapter overview Introduction: Is pornography* an ethical problem – and, if so, what kind(s)? Pornography*: More ethical debates and analyses Pornography* online: A utilitarian analysis “Complete sex” – a feminist/phenomenological perspective Sex with robots, anyone? Now: What about games? Sex and violence in games Notes

13 6 Digital Media Ethics: Overview, Frameworks, Resources Chapter overview A synopsis of digital media ethics Basic ethical frameworks 1. Utilitarianism Strengths and limits (a)How do we numerically evaluate the possible consequences of our acts? (b)How far into the future must we consider? (c)For whom are the consequences that we must consider? 2. Deontology Difficulties ... 3. Meta-ethical frameworks: Relativism, absolutism (monism), pluralismEthical relativism Ethical absolutism (monism) Beyond relativism and absolutism: Ethical pluralism Strengths and limits of ethical pluralism 4. Feminist ethics Applications to digital media ethics 5. Virtue ethics Virtue ethics: sample applications to digital media 6. Confucian ethics Confucian ethics and digital media: sample applications 7. African perspectives Applications Notes

14 References

15 Index

16 End User License Agreement

1 Cover

2 Contents

3 1 Central Issues in the Ethics of Digital Media

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