Charles Sturt University: Ethical Theories Applied to a Facebook Post

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This essay critically examines Facebook's practice of targeting advertisements to users experiencing heartbreak, as highlighted in their 2017 blog post, through the lens of various ethical theories. It delves into Utilitarianism, assessing whether the benefits to advertisers and potentially consoled users outweigh the ethical concerns of exploiting vulnerable emotions. The analysis extends to Deontology, questioning the inherent morality of Facebook's data mining practices and potential violations of user privacy. Virtue theory is explored, considering the character and motivations behind such actions, while Contract theory examines the implicit social contract between Facebook and its users, and whether targeted advertising breaches this agreement. The essay concludes that targeting vulnerable users for advertising purposes is ethically questionable, advocating for greater transparency and user protection within social media platforms. Desklib provides access to similar solved assignments and study resources.

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SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND MATHS, CHARLES STURT UNIVERSITY
Targeting a broken heart
Assignment 3: Applying Ethical Theory
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Targeting a broken heart
Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................3
Utilitarianism Theory................................................................................................................. 4
Deontology Theory.................................................................................................................... 5
Virtue Theory.............................................................................................................................. 6
Contract Theory.......................................................................................................................... 7
Conclusion.................................................................................................................................. 8
References.................................................................................................................................. 9
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Targeting a broken heart
Introduction
A post titled as “What mends a broken heart on Facebook” by the Facebook blog in the year
2017. In this article it was insight that how the breakup moment affects the people of
different countries such as Netherlands, France, Poland, United Kingdom and the United
Arab Emirates etc. It was also found in the studies that there may be gap between the
breakup and the Facebook posts announcing such breakup (Raiku, 2018). It was
investigated further that users have accepted more than one invitation to any event within
and after sixty days of such announcement. Before marking themselves as single of the
Facebook, Different words and the phrases are being used by men and women such as
“Detox”, “Healing”, “Binge watching” and suffering etc. Researchers have also written that
the best therapy to get over the breakup is gaining new experiences rather than buying the
things. These posts conclude by motivating the advertising clients of Facebook that tracking
the signals of intent to travel, take up new hobbies and experiencing the new things can help
you to reach the group with relevant ads at the right time.
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Targeting a broken heart
Utilitarianism Theory
This Utilitarianism Theory states that an act is considered to be good if it provide advantages
and the benefits to the great number of people. This theory is based on certain assumptions
that all the people in the world desire the happiness and happiness is an intrinsic product
that is desired for its own sake. In the given case scenario, it has been found and explained
by the researchers that after the breakup the best therapy is to experience new things rather
than buying anything. Facebook has used the information such as updates regarding the
breakups by individuals for the purpose of tracking signals of the people who want to travel
or take up the new hobbies (Mansell, 2015). They have used such data for their advertising
clients to promote their products and services.
According to Utilitarianism theory, there is benefit of a large segment of people who are
going through a breakup hence this activity is moral in some senses. On the other hand,
Facebook is using the information of their clients and sharing them with their advertising
clients to promote their products and services which are quite immoral. But the main fact is
that maximum people getting affected in this case study are being benefitted due to these
ads as they are required resources to gain new experiences. These advertising clients can
help them in that (Akhigbe & Zolnourian, 2018).
According to this theory, an act is morally permissible if the results of such activity are good
and beneficial for a large number of people affected by such act. However, just because an
act is making a large number of people happy, it is not necessary that this is morally
permissible. This is not an ethical practice to provide signals to the advertising clients that
one of your users is going through a breakup or will go through the same in near future.
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Targeting a broken heart
Deontology Theory
According to the theory of Deontology, when there is clash between two or more moral
duties, it is necessary to look at the situations of the individuals that which duty is overriding.
There is a list of prima facie duties given by Ross. An action is either right or wrong in itself
and the Facebook mining the data and Facebook posts of its users is also immoral because
the rule of privacy is the same rule followed by everyone else (Mill, 2016). If here we make
the exceptions for ourselves, we will violate the Impartiality principle, which is one of the
most important principles of deontology theory of ethics. There are different theories
presented by Ross, such as benevolence, justice and honesty. It would always found to be
immoral practice to target the broken hearts of people to promote and advertise the services
and the products according to the deontologists (Koszegi, 2014).
However, as per the deontological theory it is always immoral to use the information and
posts to track the signals for the advertising clients, does not matter its consequences are
good or bad for the individuals, what happens if the table is turned towards the copyright
holders. Everyone should have access to the same content, does not matter what is their
economic status. Everyone is required to treat in a fair way and should not be discriminated.
It is not necessarily immoral to share or viewing the content as the access for every person
is the fairest action. But as per the facts and theories of Deontologists it is immoral to target
the broken hearts for any purpose whether the consequences are beneficial for them.
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Targeting a broken heart
Virtue Theory
This virtue theory has a belief that rather than following the sets of rules and the principles,
the disposition to perform the right acts and things is more effective. People are required to
act morally out of their habits and not introspection. It can be argued that this use of social
posts by the individuals for promoting and advertising the services provided by them is
acceptable as it is providing some benefits and empathy to the people and not hurting them.
As a virtue ethicist, it is possible to have such thoughts in the mind but being another ethicist
of virtue there may be a different point of view. According to the theory, interrupting the
privacy of the users and using their breakup related posts to track the signals for advertising
clients can never be morally possible in any type of circumstances. These both ethicist can
be considered as the moral people but having their different perspectives and perceptions.
Each of them can make arguments on such mining of the user’s details for the advertising
clients by Facebook (Broad, 2014).
There is always a main problem with the virtue theory because there are several people from
different backgrounds and cultures having their own perspectives and vastly different
opinions on what virtue can be constructed. The character of the person is generally taken
as the central consideration for the virtue and not takes reference of their backgrounds,
societies as well as cultures. There may be different rules or perspectives in different
countries. Some people would support the case scenario as they are getting benefitted to be
able to have such services and some may argument against the case as their privacy is
being breached.
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Targeting a broken heart
Contract Theory
Contract theory has one advantage over the utilitarian theory and the deontology theory.
This theory gives us the motivation for being moral which is absent in the other two theories.
We are living in such society where there are different set of rules, laws and legislations. We
all are required to abide by such legislations in order to live in harmony with the other people
in the society. If these laws and rules are breached, they result to negative impacts and
actions. These consequences serve prevention to performing the wrong acts or tasks. There
are several examples of different illegal activities such as abducting someone, murder
someone or to steal anything. These rules and regulations are used by the contract ethicists
as the moral compass (Wagner & Dahnke, 2015). If any action is illegal then it is sure that
such act is morally not permissible hence it is immoral. In the given case, the target has
been made on the broken hearts posting about their breakup on the Facebook. Facebook is
using their posts to track the signals for their advertising clients to help them having a market
for their services. It is ethically immoral to use someone’s personal information or make it a
target to sell the services. A contract ethicist would definitely take it as an immoral action and
in turn it will support to prevent such activities in future and make changes in the application.
However you are obligated to behave morally only when there is a set of rules and the
regulations. If there no such thing in place, these practices might be used as permissible
actions according to the ethicists. There are different countries where no such rule of privacy
breach exists regarding the Facebook posts.
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Targeting a broken heart
Conclusion
It has been concluded overwhelmingly regarding such case study that it is immoral or
unethical to target the broken hearts posting on Facebook regarding their breakup to console
them by providing advertisements. In the research, it was found that the best practice to
overcome such situation of breakup is to experiencing the new things, travelling and
accepting the new hobbies. There must be proper and appropriate laws against the use of
any information of the users of any Application as there are people having the thinking to not
share their personal content. Facebook should not use the posts or blogs to benefit the
advertising clients by providing them a vast market by using their user’s information. There
may be another website for such people who require such ads to choose the better option
for them to explore the world and travel to get over such breakup things. Everything should
be at their right place and there should be no damage to anyone’s feelings.
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Targeting a broken heart
References
 Akhigbe, T., & Zolnourian, A. (2018). Ethical dilemma of error disclosure in wrong-
site craniotomy: a systematic review.International Journal of Medical Reviews, 4(1),
17-21.
 Broad, C. D. (2014). Five types of ethical theory. Routledge.
 Koszegi, B. (2014). Behavioral contract theory. Journal of Economic Literature, 52(4),
1075-1118.
 Mansell, S. (2015). Book review: rejoinder to Veldman’s review of capitalism,
corporations and the social contract: A critique of stakeholder theory (Vol. 22, No. 2,
pp. 271-275). Sage UK: London, England: Sage Publications.
 Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven Masterpieces of Philosophy (pp. 337-383).
Routledge.
 Raiku, I., (2018). Targeting a broken heart. Available at:
https://www.scu.edu/ethics/focus-areas/internet-ethics/resources/targeting-a-broken-
heart/ [Accessed on: 10 Sept. 2018]
 Wagner, J. M., & Dahnke, M. D. (2015). Nursing ethics and disaster triage: Applying
utilitarian ethical theory. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 41(4), 300-306.
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