Digital Ethics Case Studies

Is It Only A Game?

Is It Only A Game?

First-person shooter video games are popular. But are they ethical to enjoy?
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“Some of My Best Friends are Internet Vigilantes”

“Some of My Best Friends are Internet Vigilantes”

What are the ethical issues that arise with naming and shaming racists online?
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How Can I Be So Mean to Myself?

How Can I Be So Mean to Myself?

What are the ethical concerns with the new phenomena of digital self-harm?
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Don’t “Like” My Children

Don’t “Like” My Children

What could go wrong when parents share information about their children online?
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How to Use Case Studies in Your Class

How to Use Case Studies in Your Class

How to use case studies to integrate ethics content and skills in your classes.
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When Actors Become Characters

When Actors Become Characters

What are the ethics of fictional works created by fans that involve real people as characters?
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Filtering Out Cyberbullying

Filtering Out Cyberbullying

What are the ethical issues raised by Instagram's efforts to filter out cyberbullying?
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To Catfish or Not to Catfish?

To Catfish or Not to Catfish?

What are the ethical problems with "catfishing" online?
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Gaming the System?

Gaming the System?

What are the ethical problems with cheating in Fortnite?
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Boldly Going Where Studios Have Gone Before

Boldly Going Where Studios Have Gone Before

When does fan fiction cross the line from inspired creativity to unethical stealing?
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AI and Online Hate Speech

AI and Online Hate Speech

Can AI save us from online hate speech? Or will it learn our worst traits?
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Google Assistant and the Ethics of AI

Google Assistant and the Ethics of AI

What ethical issues arise when realistic-sounding AI is used in human interactions?
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Virtual Reality, Immersive Media, and Journalism

Virtual Reality, Immersive Media, and Journalism

What are the ethics of using virtual reality in real journalism?
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Finsta Fad

Finsta Fad

What are the real ethical issues raised by fake Instagram accounts?
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Swipe Right to Expose

Swipe Right to Expose

What happens when journalism meets dating apps at the Rio Olympics?
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Biometrics, Data, and Privacy

Biometrics, Data, and Privacy

Does national security trade off with privacy in biometric identification?
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Dying to Be Online

Dying to Be Online

What could go wrong when you die on Facebook?
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Anonymity, Doxing, and the Ethics of Reddit

Anonymity, Doxing, and the Ethics of Reddit

What ethical issues are created in Reddit's attempts to clean up its act?
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Sharing the Pain

Sharing the Pain

What ethical issues does the rapid sharing of information in emergencies raise?
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Fake News, Fake Porn, and AI

Fake News, Fake Porn, and AI

What are the ethical issues involved in the use of AI in creating fake video content?
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More cases coming soon!

 

Case studies produced by the Media Ethics Initiative remain the intellectual property of the Media Ethics Initiative and the University of Texas at Austin. They can be used in unmodified PDF form without permission for classroom use. For use in publications such as textbooks and other works, please contact the Media Ethics Initiative.