Ethics in a Digital World

People are waking up to the notion that the technology we hold in our hands each day is not a neutral tool that individual users control. The facade has been cracking for years, with the public being introduced to the complexities of hacking, the concept of bot accounts, the larger threat of information warfare and more. The rise in rhetoric around ‘fake news’ has social media companies examining their roles in the spread of misinformation, the public asking who checks the fact-checkers and everyone from politicians to tech conglomerates wondering if, when and how information regulation needs to happen.

Amid this backdrop, it has become clear that society needs thoughtful, empathetic digital citizens who can navigate the important ethical questions at the intersection of technology and humanity. This book is designed to help students consider the systems and structures in which they spend so much of their time, guiding them in looking at the technology around them through a critical lens.

Each chapter includes:

• a short summary of the current research and expert viewpoints on a digital ethics topic
• news articles exploring questions related to the topic
• focused research questions to help students explore various aspects of the ethical dilemma
• stories of educators engaging students with lessons around tech ethics
• a ‘try this’ section with instructional strategies for helping students navigate open-ended questions.