An Ethical Interpretation: Report on Emotional Contagion Study

This report presents an ethical interpretation of an emotional contagion study, drawing parallels with the 2014 Facebook manipulation case. It emphasizes the importance of informed participant consent, voluntary participation, confidentiality of data, and adherence to research ethics codes. The report reviews relevant literature, discusses the philosophical worldview underpinning ethical considerations in social research, and outlines the methodology used, including sampling, data collection, and data analysis. It underscores the need for social networking sites to prioritize user privacy and emotional well-being when conducting research and provides a checklist for ensuring ethical practices are followed throughout the research process. Desklib provides access to a variety of solved assignments and study resources for students.

Letter of Transmittal
14th October, 2018.
Ninja Co.
Sir,
I am very pleased to submit the report of my internship at Social acknowledgement.
This report details my learning, activities and experiences in the company during my research
designing period.
I hope that, the report will thoroughly reflect my research experience.
Sincerely,
Student Name

An ethical interpretation
EMOTIONAL CONTAGION STUDY: AN ETHICAL
INTERPRETATION
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An ethical interpretation
Executive summary
In this research design it has been explain that the social media is found as one of the important
networking mediums which associate the people and the users from all over the world. Social
media is considered as one of the fundamental networking mediums that connect people and
users from across the globe. In addition to this, it had been noted that Facebook played a cynical
role in tweaking the news feed and thereby influenced the instinctive and instantaneous emotions
of its user. The present reach will be conducted on the basis of its correlation and connection
with the Facebook case study. Therefore the current research program has been carefully
designed using the correlation design and ensuring the confidentiality of the participant
information and record. The social networking sites are considered as open and vulnerable
platform for data unethical data hacking. A checklist must be prepared to tixbox the addressed
point of ethical consideration in the research plan. In this research design the philosophical
worldview of the ethical interpretation on social site is showed that the compromise signifies the
important basis for the method of any social knowledge. The soundness of this research is
established and most important techniques to evaluate validity and reliability evaluated with
some examples from the literature have done in this research design.
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................6
Literature Review............................................................................................................................6
Philosophical worldview.................................................................................................................9
Methodology..................................................................................................................................10
Sampling........................................................................................................................................10
Data collection method..................................................................................................................11
Data analysis..................................................................................................................................12
Soundness of the research..............................................................................................................12
Justification of the research being ethical......................................................................................13
References......................................................................................................................................14
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An ethical interpretation
Introduction
Social media is considered as one of the fundamental networking mediums that connect people
and users from across the globe. It had been apparent that the positive feeds from one group of
users would place a strong impact on the emotional quotient of the other relative posts that were
splashed on the Facebook timeline. In the light of the above discussion, it can be stated that
another social networking site, Ninja. In this research design it has been explain that the social
media is found as one of the important networking mediums which associate the people and the
users from all over the world. This can be an evidentiary fact that the content are being posted
through the people on the social media sites lay an indelible impact on the emotional state of
other relation users. It has been noted that the facebook acted a cynical role in changing the news
feed and in that way inclined the natural and instant emotions of its user. The users who had
relied on the social site to express their feelings were surprised with it destructive act of
information and news feed running out. In this research design it can be stated the other social
networking site Ninja also makes strategy to conduct the research in order to map their capacity
in managing and controlling the emotional state of the users.
Literature Review
Social media is considered as one of the fundamental networking mediums that connect people
and users from across the globe(Cohen and Lancaster,2014). It has been an evidentiary fact that
the content that is being posted by individuals on the social media sites lay an indelible impact
on the emotional state of other relative users. Considering the experimentation conducted on the
Facebook manipulation of 2014, it has been visible that the world’s biggest social networking is
being convicted of manoeuvring the news feed of its users to exploit the emotional contagion(Lin
et al.2014). The conjecture was drawn on the hypothetical annotation of the Facebook’s attempt
to tamper the timeline posts of its users in order to extract its impactful presence on
others(Seabrook et al.2016).
It had been apparent that the positive feeds from one group of users would place a strong impact
on the emotional quotient of the other relative posts that were splashed on the Facebook timeline.
In addition to this, it had been noted that Facebook played a cynical role in tweaking the news
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An ethical interpretation
feed and thereby influenced the instinctive and instantaneous emotions of its user. The users who
had relied on the social site to express their feelings were shocked with it pernicious act of data
and news feed exploitation (Krasnova et al.2015).
Hence, this manipulating activity of Facebook was considered abysmal and unethical.
Approximately 700,000 users data and posts were tampered and tweaked for selfish motives(Ary
et al.2018). The Facebook team of researchers designed such a research modality to analyse the
impact of Facebook power on its users and map their capability to distort the emotional state of
them. According to Dijkmans et al.(2015), this was an act of defamation and degradation by
probably the biggest social networking site.
In the light of the above discussion, it can be stated that another social networking site, Ninja
also plans to conduct such a research in order to map the it’s capability in controlling and
directing the emotional state of its user. The research team of the mentioned social site strives to
conduct a research that is ethical in approach and is capable of conducting the operation without
tweaking ir distorting facts of the timeline posts. The user privacy and emotional quotient must
be kept in mind while considering the research. The ethical consideration of the research
program must be reliant on few salient attributes including the user's consent and participation.
Prior to the conduction of the research program, a secured design has been selected to conduct
the research proposal and plan. Since the research has been proposed by the present social
networking site team, considering the impact of emotional contagion by Facebook in 2014,
therefore, the team decides to fixate a correlational research design that is interconnected with
the previous case analysis of Facebook. According to Lin and Utz(2015), a correlational research
design is extrapolatory on the analysis of the key variables of the relative studies connected to
the research ((Seabrook et al.2016)).
The present research will be conducted on the basis of its correlation and connection with the
Facebook case study. However, the ethical consideration needs to be kept in mind while
constituting the research plan. According to Kosinski et al.(2015), ethical consideration renders
sanity and authenticity to a research report. In regards to the ethical consideration part, the
present research design shall be considerate of the fundamental points mentioned in the next part
of the LR.
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Informed participant consent: According to Calancie et al.(2017), informed participant consent
leverages the users or participants to be a part of the research program. It is one of the reliable
and appreciated practices that engages significant consent from the users in order to avoid
unprecedented nuances in future. In regards to the contemporary research plan and design, the
reviewed social networking site must be agile in regulating the participant consent prior to
conducting the research. The respective researcher must have enough questions for the
participants and offer ample time and space to share the feedback. In the words of Bazarova et al.
(2015), the participants in this research program shall be well informed in order to sufficiently
and rationally decide and participate in the emotional contagion
Voluntary participation and right of withdrawal without sanction: According to Song et al.
(2016), research committees engage in following a secured research proposal that will allow the
participants and users to voluntarily withdraw their involvements as and when they desire to. In
the words of Curtis et al.(2015), once the participants offer consent to use their data and
information in the research plan , an instant withdrawal is difficult. Considering the nature of the
research to be conducted by the present research team, the voluntary participation and right of
withdrawal must be given to the participants and users of the reviewed social networking site at
all times. The researchers are expected to allow the participant acknowledgement towards the
involvement. Considering the present social networking research plan on measuring the
emotional quotient of the users, the leverage for voluntary participation and right to withdrawal
must be ratified.
Confidentiality of participants and records: It has been evident in the correlational study that
Facebook had tampered the data and feed of its 700,000 users to assess the influence of the site
on the emotional state of the users. According to Beauvais et al.(2014), that was an act of
disparagement and dishonour. The reliability of the users on their favorite social site had reduced
owing to its defamatory act. Hence, the act was reflective of tarnishing the confidentiality of the
participant posts and records. Therefore the current research program has been carefully
designed using the correlational design and ensuring the confidentiality of the participant
information and record. According to Skela-Savič and Kiger(2015) maintenance of data
confidentiality is considered as the assurance of the researcher in safeguarding the users data
information and posts during the research program.
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Privacy and the internet: Internet privacy has become a popular and appreciated fact in recent
times. With the advent of malpractices and cyber crimes of unauthentically accessing data,
internet security and privacy has become a major cause of concern. The social networking sites
are considered as open and vulnerable platform for unethical data hacking. Hence the present
research plan must be prompt in abiding by the privacy measures in order to avoid malpractice
and data theft. In the words of Mackey and Gass(2015), the ways of data security are diverse.
The use of anti-virus and secured privacy settings are mandatory in safeguarding the privacy of
the site. The passwords must be strong and only authentic access must have given to the users.
Codes and Policies for Research Ethics: in case of research programs that are related to data
involvement and human participant, it is paramount to abide by the code and policies of research
ethics. According to Bosco et al.(2015), data distortion is considered an unethical crime that
cannot be repleted. A correlation case reference demonstrates the ethical differences between the
Facebook manipulation of 2014 and the current research program to be conducted by the current
social networking site. Therefore, the above ethical consideration needs to be kept in mind and
allow the participation and involvement of the users with their respective consens. A checklist
must be prepared to tixbox the addressed point of ethical consideration in the research plan. This
practice can avoid the existence of unethical malpractice in the contemporary research plan.
Philosophical worldview
In this research design the philosophical worldview of the ethical interpretation on social site is
showed that the compromise signifies the important basis for the method of any social
knowledge (Burton, T.L. and Cherry, G.E., 2018). In between the initial logicians to obtain a
concentration in the ethical consequence of social applies of the internet were phenomenological
logicians of technology. If each person is unresponsively attend in spite of wherever one person
is situated on the world, there no one is with authority present (Quinlan et al, 2019). The people
who become present there all through a communication connection those have a reduced
attendance, in view of the fact that the people can at all times make them disappear if their
attendance turn into troublesome. In addition, the people can look after to the people from
unwanted human being in general through applying showing devices (Humphries, B., 2017).
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Methodology
Social media can be allowed quantitative measurement by qualitative data. The data such as
conventional methodological limits are developing unclear when allowing for the most suitable
tools for dealing with a research question. Biographical data like user profession or lifestyle
behaviours, can frequently will be described and correlated statistically with particular pattern of
behaviour. However, any deductions create from such study can be make stronger by a
qualitative method of how users have put such data in a non-standardised way. In the example of
engagement, an investigational approach could be utilized to assess the discrepancy in response
to indistinguishable content, which is posted on multiple platforms. Some Combining different
methods, including offline methods, can also assist to create huge contextual meaning. Such as,
with Twitter hash tags as sampling criterion guides to the own-selection of cases as only users
redistributing a particular phrase will be researched. In this example, approaches like network
analysis or extra qualitative case studies could cooperate to establish how counterfactuals can be
overlapped or increase an understanding of the use of a particular hash tag or way of the use of a
specific hashtag modifications over time and between diverse groups.
According to the site, Ninja planned to conduct research to follow the ability in controlling and
presenting an emotional state of its user. As a beginning point for the literature review of present
social media site and microblogging research was established as early time. Thus, the decision
was created to place the initial discontinue a final cut-off (Reinharz, 2017). The objective of this
research is to recognize features that decide the uses of the option by social media from a user’s
perspective and to make easy the quantitative factor of social media in term of core relationship
design on speculation by using social media and enhance a model from the viewpoint. This
concerned a comprehensive research of demographic characteristics and psychographic issues of
the user in order to understand the mixture of issues. The users take into reflection about the site
and the options offered by social media as a tool to get in sequence, recognize the decision
making the journey of the user and the process it has to be distorted by social media, as a tool for
the user is to unite with the social media.
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Sampling
According to the data collection, obtain raw data on human information behaviours need to
gather for the action. About the sampling, generate access to a massive amount of data need to be
easy to analyse. It has been observed that if the timestamp is obtainable, it is well to conduct a
longitudinal study. For the data analysis, it needs to appreciate the contexts and need to
understand language, which users use in social context (Beauvais et al. 2014). The customized
dictionary needs to be developed. Customized categories for keyword searching and analysis
need to be enhanced in the site. The volume of social media data needs a discussion of massive
data. Huge data can be displayed to have emerged at the starting of the 21st century from large
size datasets. Some famous sites of Google, Linkedin, eBay, Facebook were created around huge
data from the beginning.
The present social media site needs to generate automated technological tools to gather, and
clean and analyse huge volumes of data from users. Social media needs to create population-
level data. These characteristics distinguish social media is resulting in data from objects
inventing from conventional research methods; these are either more intensive or time limit. The
volume analysis, relationship analysis, correlations, classification, clustering and Geographical
information system are varying for the sampling or data analysis.
Data collection method
There are some typical methods that Primary data is collected in this research design that the
observation, surveys and experiments. It is collected through the sociologists in the time of their
personal research using the technique of the research design. In this research design the
voluntary participation and the users to voluntarily withdrawal their engagements. According to
the environment of the research design to be conducted through the current research group need
to be given to the users (Clarke, S., 2018). According to Skela-Savič and Kiger(2015) the records
of the privacy of contributors are mentioned here that there are 700.00 users to review the
authority of the site on the emotional condition of the users. This study is to identify the factors
which conclude the users of the potion using social media from a user’s point of view and to
facilitate the measurability of social media in term of core relationship design on investment
through using social. The analysed unit was a peer-reviewed journal article reporting the result of
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qualitative and mixed methods research study where social media played a central action.
According to the site, Ninja intended to behaviour a research to follow the ability in managing
and presenting a touching condition of its user (Brannen, J., 2017).
Data analysis
In this research design it is for recognize the qualitative method that moves toward used in the
developing interior relationship design of social media research ((Clarke, S., 2018)). This review
is explained and examines an integrative arrangement approach which attempts to concise the
contents of different studies and decreases any sympathetic on the part of the reporter. The
analysed component was a peer-reviewed periodical article reporting the product of qualitative
method research study where social media performed a essential achievement ((Brannen, J.,
2017)). After analysis the data it has been found that the purpose of this study is to identify the
features which find out the uses of the selection using social media from a point of view of the
users and to make possible the measurability of social media in period of interior association
design on asset through using the social media and improve a model from the point of view. This
worried a inclusive study of demographic individuality and psychographic aspects of the user in
classify to appreciate the combination of issues. The users takes into mirror image about the site
and the selections provided using social media as a technique to obtain data, appreciate the
decision making journey of the user and the procedure this has to be indistinct using social media
as a technique for the users to attach with the social media.
Soundness of the research
The soundness of this research is established and most important techniques to evaluate validity
and reliability evaluated with some examples from the literature have done in this research
design. The power of this study is to give beginner researchers with a sympathetic of the
common difficulty of soundness in social ethical research and to explain them with comes up to
improving strong sustain for the validity of their research (Burton, T.L. and Cherry, G.E., 2018).
There have some positivity to build the scientific rules of social site that are arrived through
testing suggestion as in science. The research design is interpretively to create an understanding
of the purposes and targets in social behaviour. The crucial social research design is to ask about
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the crucial matter with the view to changing society to convert the dissimilar power relationship.
Considering the experimentation conducted on the Facebook manipulation of 2014, it has been
visible that the world’s biggest social networking is being convicted of manoeuvring the news
feed of its users to exploit the emotional contagion (Carey, M., 2017). The users who had relied
on the social site to express their feelings were shocked with it pernicious act of data and news
feed exploitation. Since, the research has been proposed by the present social networking site
team, considering the contact of emotional contagion by Facebook in 2014. Making an
allowance for the present social networking research plan on measuring the emotional proportion
of the users, the leverage for voluntary contribution and right to withdrawal must be ratified
(Reinharz, S., 2017). The reliability of the users on their favourite social site had reduced owing
to its defamatory act. Therefore the current research program has been carefully designed using
the correlation design and ensuring the confidentiality of the participant information and record.
As a starting point for the literature, review of present social media site and micro blogging
research was established as early time. A checklist must be prepared to tixbox the addressed
point of ethical consideration in the research plan.
Justification of the research being ethical
The subject matter included in the current research proposal, must be adaptive of the ethical
standards in order to avoid the repetition of malpractice and emotional contagion , as was
conducted by Facebook in the year 2014. Since the Facebook manipulation act was considered
defamatory and derogatory, therefore, the ethical consideration has been paid special attention in
the current research plan. Based on the impact of the Facebook consequences, the correlational
research design has been used to draw a secured sense of similarity between the two case
studies.
The ethical consideration in the current research plan has been incorporated and adopted on the
basis of the above mentioned attributes. The sound and voluntary participation of the users in the
research program is a significant contributor to its ethical standards. The participants and users
shall be well informed and agreed upon the methodologies and procedures of the research plan.
The standardised research code of ethics and principle must be followed to preclude from any
kind of unauthentic and unethical data tampering that are represented in the news feed from the
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users. The internet and cyber security protocol is expected to be followed while conducting the
research plan.
Therefore, considering the above discussion, the inclusion of the research code of ethics and
voluntary participant involvement, it can be stated that the current research plan is expected to be
ethical and authentic in content. Unauthorised access to data and user information distortion must
be avoided and placed as top priority to conduct the research profoundly.
References
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