Module 2
Communication Ethics
I. INTRODUCTION
The main goal of any communication process is to effectively transfer the message to the receiver. This can be
attained through the communication skills applied by the sender and receiver. However, as communications skills
are being used in a communication process, it is also important to consider the ethics which refers to a system of
moral principles. If the communication is guided by the moral principles, successful communication is more likely to
happen. Through this module, you will be equipped with the communication including its principles and
importance. Also, part of this module is the discussion of social media etiquette which will provide guidance to you
in using any social media platform.
II. OBJECTIVES. Specifically, after working on this module, you should be able to do the following:
1. Define ethics and specifically communication ethics.
2. Identify ethical and unethical behaviors in communicating.
3. Identify and avoid the harmful and inappropriate social media content they witness, experience, and post.
4. Evaluate one’s social media behavior.
III. PRELIMINARY ACTIVITIES
Task 1. Concept Map. Share your ideas on the word showed in the concept map below by filling in the circles that
surround the word given.
ETHICS
IV. LESSON PROPER
Communication is the act or process of communicating; fact of being communicated. The imparting or interchange
of thoughts, opinions, or information by speech, writing, or signs.
Ethics is a system of moral principles. It deals with values relating to human conduct, with respect to the rightness
and wrongness of certain actions, and to the goodness and badness of the motives and ends of such actions.
Communication Ethics is the notion that human beings are governed by their morals which in turn
affects communication. Generally speaking communication ethics deals with the moral good present in any form of
human communication.
Communication Ethics
Deirdre D. Johnston (1994) pointed out ten ethics in communication that you should bear in mind to avoid being
labeled “unethical” (as cited in Chase & Shamo, 2013, pp. 140-141).
1. Mutuality. Pay attention to the needs of others, as well as yours.
2. Individual dignity. Do not cause another person embarrassment or a loss of dignity.
3. Accuracy. Ensure that others have accurate information. Tell them everything they have a right and need to
know, not just what is true.
4. Access to information. Never bolster the impact of your communication by preventing people from
communicating with one another or by hindering access to the supporting information.
5. Accountability. Be responsible and accountable for the consequences of your relationships and
communication.
6. Audience. As audience or receiver of the information, you also have ethical responsibilities. A good rule of
thumb is the “200% rule” where both the sender and the receiver have full 100% responsibility to ensure that
the message is understood, and that ethics are followed. This is a 100/100 rule, not a 50/50 rule.
7. Relative truth. As either sender or receiver of information, remember that your own point of view may not be
shared by others and that your conclusions are relative to your perspective, so allow others to respectfully
disagree or see it differently.
8. Ends vs means. Be sure that the end goal of your communication and the means of getting to that end are
both ethical although no rule can be applied without reservation to any situation.
9. Use of power. In situations where you have more power than others, you also have more responsibility for the
outcome.
10. Rights vs responsibilities. Balance your rights against your responsibilities even if you live in a wonderful
society where your rights are protected by law; not everything you have a right to do is ethical.
SOCIAL MEDIA ETIQUETTE
Social media is communication through websites and other online platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter,
Instagram, and LinkedIn) that are used by large groups of people to share information, develop social and
professional contacts, and promote business.
Social media do's and don'ts: What you need to know (Gavilan, 2016)
The Do’s
1. DO check if your privacy settings are ultra-secure.
2. DO make sure that you carefully screen online friends or followers.
3. DO only post online what you can say in real life.
4. DO respect the opinions of other netizens.
5. DO be careful where you get your information from.
The Don’ts
1. DON’T use your social media accounts to spread hate.
2. DON’T share too much information online.
3. DON’T forget to cite your (legitimate) sources.
4. DON’T share unverified information.
5. DON’T tolerate cyberbullies.
Social Media Etiquette for Professionals (Ritch and McGary)
• Pick a professional screen name.
• Create a professional profile.
• Don't post anything that you wouldn't want your mother, clergy person, clients, boss, or colleagues to see.
• Keep personal and professional posts separate.
• Be nice. Acknowledge people when they ask a question, apologize if you offend someone, and never ever
spam, flame, or trash someone else online.
• Practice HALT. Never post anything if you are too Hungry, Angry, Lonely, or Tired. Take some time to rest,
reflect, and recuperate, then, post it later.
• Do not send winks, pokes, virtual martinis, or invitations for your business contacts to play online games.
• Do not be a stalker. If someone declines your friend invitation, move on.
• Use spell check. This may seem strange, but you should think about writing your responses in Word or
some other word processing program and then posting the edited version.
V. PRACTICE EXERCISES
A. Read the questions below. Then think if you are asking yourself each of these questions before posting in your
social media account. Put a check on the column that corresponds to your answer.
YES NO
1. Should I target a specific audience with this message?
2. Will anyone really care about this content besides me?
3. Will I offend anyone with this content? If so, who? Does it matter?
4. Is this appropriate for a social portal, or would it best be communicated another
way?
5. How many times have I already posted something today? (More than three can be
excessive.)
6. Did I spell check?
7. Will I be okay with absolutely anyone seeing this?
8. Is this post too vague? Will everyone understand what I’m saying?
9. Am I using this as an emotional dumping ground? If so, why? Is a different outlet
better for these purposes?
10. Am I using too many abbreviations in this post and starting to sound like a
teenager?
11. Is this reactive communication or is it well thought-out?
12. Is this really something I want to share, or is it just me venting?
Source: Lisa Filpi Goeckler
B. Social Media Check!
With the rapid rise of social media influencers, a lot of issues has made news within the past few years. With
this, look for a social media post that has went viral and analyze whether the said post has observed
communcation ethics. Use the following guide questions for your analysis:
Guide Questions:
a. What parts of the post did or did not observe social media etiquette?
b. How did the audience responded with the post? Were the audience communicatively ethical?
c. Why is it important to observe social media etiquette in observing commuunication ethics?
VI. ASSESSMENT
(To be given in class)
VII. REFERENCES
✓ Gavilan, J. (2016). Social media do’s and don’ts: What you need to know.
[Link]
✓ Madrunio, M. & Martin, I. (2018). Purposive communication. 839 EDSA, South Triangle, Quezon City: C &E
Publishing, Inc.
✓ Padilla, M., Dagdag, L., & Roxas, F. (2018). Communicate & connect. Malabon City: Mutya Publishing House.