Posted on Tuesday, August 25, 2020

The Ethics of Targeted Advertising

One-Sheet for SOPHIA Conversations

Printable one-sheet.

This one-sheet was created for the SOPHIA of Worcester County chapter by students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University. It was edited by Dr. J. J. Sylvia IV. Its creation was supported by SOPHIA and the Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Center for Civic Engagement. Students included Landon Callahan, Megan Ptak, Cameron Barry, Evan Hanson, Anthonio Garcia, Dylan Aquino, and Joey Bertolino.

Targeted advertisements are used when websites and apps track the online activity of an individual and tailor advertisements for products and services that the person may have an interest in. This data collection can be done by gathering a user’s search history, web pages visited, location, and more. This now common form of advertising can be very effective in selling a product or promoting a brand. However, ethical debates surround issues such as how certain demographics will be targeted, potential privacy concerns, and the effects this practice may have on democracy. This SOPHIA one-sheet examines ethical questions about targeted advertisements.

SOPHIA is grateful to Dr. Sylvia, his students, and the Crocker Center for Civic Engagement at Fitchburg State University.

Posted on Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Ethics of Online Catfishing

One-Sheet for SOPHIA Conversations

Printable one-sheet in Adobe PDF.

This one-sheet was created for the SOPHIA of Worcester County chapter by students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University and edited by Drs. J. J. Sylvia IV and Kyle Moody. Its creation was supported by SOPHIA and the Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Center for Civic Engagement. Students included: Curtis Monahan, Sophia Ciampaglia, Emma Thomson, Kim Lier, Ken Roberts, Sam Pappas, Stephanie Fuller, Thomas Boupha, and Shannon McCarthy.

Catfish, the documentary TV series on MTV, stars two men who travel around the U.S. investigating people who they believe have been depicting themselves falsely to another user online. Since these interactions are purely digital, it is quite easy to use inaccurate photos or post misinformation of yourself in order to mislead online users. This SOPHIA one-sheet document makes it easy to guide a rich discussion on the ethics involved in “catfishing” online.

SOPHIA is grateful to Drs. Sylvia and Moody, to the Crocker Center for Civil Engagement, and to the students in Drs. Sylvia and Moody’s course in Communication Law and Ethics at Fitchburg State University!

Posted on Thursday, August 13, 2020

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Ethics

One-Sheet for SOPHIA Conversations

Printable PDF one-sheet.

This one-sheet was created for the SOPHIA of Worcester County Chapter by students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University and edited by Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV and Dr. Kyle Moody. It was hosted by Strong Style Coffee and its creation was supported by SOPHIA and the Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Center for Civic Engagement. Students included Miguel Aguiar, Colin Ahearn, Andrew Allen, Ben Bursell, Olivia Grant, Rebecca Landry, Kevin Newey, Martha Melendez, Shane Muir, Edgar Mutebi, Scott Ryan, and Ben Sharple.

‘Artificial Intelligence & AI & Machine Learning‘ by mikemacmarketing is licensed under CC BY 2.0.

Artificial intelligence (AI) suggests that machines will one day have the potential to imitate human behavior to complete complex tasks without human assistance. Many ethical questions arise in relation to the development of new technologies featuring artificial intelligence. This one sheet considers overarching questions as well as challenges regarding privacy, bias, and predictive policing. Click here, on the photo above, or on the Adobe PDF logo on right to open this SOPHIA (front-and-back) one-sheet.

SOPHIA is most grateful to Drs. J.J. Sylvia and Kyle Moody as well as their students in the Communication Law and Ethics course that they taught, as well as to the Crocker Center for supporting their work.

Posted on Tuesday, August 4, 2020

The Ethics of Political Advertising

One-Sheet for SOPHIA Conversations

Printable one-sheet (front & back) in Adobe PDF.

Students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University created this one-sheet for the Worcester County (MA) SOPHIA Chapter. Dr. J.J. Sylvia IV and Dr. Kyle Moody edited it. Its creation was supported by SOPHIA and the Douglas and Isabelle Crocker Center for Civic Engagement. Students included Lindsey Ogden, Kenneth Howell, Martin Heffler, Skyler Saddow, Edgar Mutebi, and Harrison Svihla.

While political advertising can be a useful tool to reach the public in order to inform them on political topics and candidates, these types of advertisements are often saturated in controversy.

Click here, on the image above, or on the Adobe PDF link on right to open a printable, Adobe PDF version of the one-sheet, which, if printed, is intended to be printed front and back.

SOPHIA is grateful to the students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University, as well as to Drs. Sylvia and Moody and to the Crocker Center for Civic Engagement.

Posted on Thursday, July 30, 2020

The Ethics of Fake News

One-Sheet for SOPHIA Conversations

Printable one-sheet (front & back) in Adobe PDF.

Over the course of the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, then-candidate Donald J. Trump popularized the term “Fake News.” Although politicians and the media now frequently use the term, much confusion remains over the meaning of the term and what actually “counts” as fake news.

Click here, on the image above, or on the Adobe PDF link on right to open a printable, Adobe PDF version of the one-sheet, which, if printed, is intended to be printed front and back.

SOPHIA is grateful to the students in the Communication Law and Ethics course at Fitchburg State University, as well as to Drs. Sylvia and Moody and to the Crocker Center for Civic Engagement.