Business Informatics: Open Editorial on Human Dignity and Ethics

This essay, an open editorial in business informatics, explores the crucial relationship between human dignity, media ethics, and business practices. It examines how media companies and social networking sites impact human dignity, focusing on issues like manipulation of information, free speech debates, and the ethical frameworks needed to protect individuals. The author emphasizes the importance of respecting human dignity, integrity, and the common good, particularly concerning the influence of media on the general public, including children and adolescents. The essay highlights the responsibility of media organizations to act ethically, prioritize the betterment of society, and avoid actions that undermine human dignity for profit. It references several studies to support the arguments and emphasizes the need for an ethical approach in the digital age.

Running head: OPEN EDITORIAL IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS
OPEN EDITORIAL IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS
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OPEN EDITORIAL IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS
Human dignity is one of the most important principles of the 9 principles of Catholic social
thought. In different nations of the world, the political consensus has considered the
protection of dignity as the most significant principle for the progress of the society. Different
organisations and business have often paid importance for the protection of dignity and
human rights of different consumers over the years (Amaboldi and Coggett 2016). Although
it has been one of the most important ethical ways of conducting business, there are evidence
of arising issue of the media companies and social networking sites over the years which are
hampering the human dignity and affecting the common good of the people.
The rights of human dignity can be explained as the essential sense of self worth and self
respect which are possessed by different individuals of a particular country. It mainly helps in
respecting the different beliefs values and wishes of all the different citizens acting as
consumers in the business and thereby not pressing others belief on them just for the sense of
making more profit (Schiffes et al. 2014). Over the years, business has provided a source for
progress and betterment of citizens and the quality of life experienced by them. The ethical
framework of every country states that all the business should be done maintaining the human
dignity and respecting the integrity of social systems, laws of the country as well as different
ecosystems for the people who live in the nation for common good.
A debate of free speech is now conducted in the present generation about the power of the
media companies. Media companies like the broadcast, print journalism, Internet based on
entertainment companies are utilising the right to speak for a particular individual in their

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own ways for making their channel more popular as well as to earn more profit. Often, it is
seen that different individuals on the social media websites and different applications
proposed by the companies, state their own opinion regarding a particular issue in the country
(Jin and Feenberg 2015). This opinion are often been manipulated in different ways by the
media companies to earn more attention from the social circle of the nation. This can be
stated with the help of an example. When a particular opinion of a celebrity is taken in an
interview, the different Internet based companies utilise this information in their own ways,
manipulating and creating exciting contents and backgrounds either creating anger or hatred
or even appreciation from the citizens according to their own benefits. If they want to
promote a celebrity they often use the speech of the celebrity with articles and blogs that
promote his popularity. When they try to degrade a celebrity for their own benefit, they
utilise information stated by the celebrity in negative aspects thereby earning more visit on
their page by the people on the social circle (Serazio 2015). This has long questioned that the
activities done by the media companies actually harming the dignity of the people pressuring
their own thoughts over the common citizens.
When the media companies are asked about the diplomacy of their work, they opine that they
are only doing this for the common good by bringing information stated by some of the
greatest leaders, film star, politicians, and influential people of the world to the common
people (Serazio 2015). However there remains a concern that “are they really applying the
true sense of the comments made by the influential people in the correct sense or
manipulating the tone and the feeling of the information stated by the influential people”?

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OPEN EDITORIAL IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS
Facebook and Twitter have always claimed that they are not responsible for whatever appears
on their site but are the work of the respective sites with whom they are linked with. Such an
irresponsible attitude of the media companies are highly criticized as they are acting as the
medium of the distribution of the information not only to the adults but also the children and
the adolescents who are the future of the nation. The moulding of their minds as well as the
development of their skills and thinking capabilities depend upon the various articles they see
on the media sites. Therefore it is extremely important for the media based organisations to
follow an ethical Framework where the information they are posting for the common good of
the people should align with the betterment of the nation and at the same time they should
be respecting the human dignity of all the influential people of the nation and also of the
common people (Stone and Woodcock 2014). They should not publish any articles for
gaining profits and benefits but in turn should look for the greater good helping in shaping
mind for future betterment of the nation.

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References:
Arnaboldi, M. and Coget, J.F., 2016. Social media and business. Organizational
Dynamics, 45, pp.47-54.
Jin, D.Y. and Feenberg, A., 2015. Commodity and community in social networking: Marx
and the monetization of user-generated content. The Information Society, 31(1), pp.52-60.
Schifferes, S., Newman, N., Thurman, N., Corney, D., Göker, A. and Martin, C., 2014.
Identifying and verifying news through social media: Developing a user-centred tool for
professional journalists. Digital Journalism, 2(3), pp.406-418.
Serazio, M., 2014. The new media designs of political consultants: Campaign production in a
fragmented era. Journal of Communication, 64(4), pp.743-763.
Serazio, M., 2015. Selling (digital) millennials: The social construction and technological
bias of a consumer generation. Television & New Media, 16(7), pp.599-615.
Stone, M.D. and Woodcock, N.D., 2014. Interactive, direct and digital marketing: A future
that depends on better use of business intelligence. Journal of Research in Interactive
Marketing, 8(1), pp.4-17.

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OPEN EDITORIAL IN BUSINESS INFORMATICS