Social Media and the Value of Truth

Berrin Beasley · Mitchell Haney

nov 2012 · Bloomsbury Publishing PLC

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Social media is ubiquitous. From Facebook and Twitter to YouTube, the blogosphere, and Massively Multi-Player Online Role-Playing Games, people have plugged into numerous online venues for social, intellectual, and leisure activities. The pervasiveness of social media calls for ethical reflection, and one of the most pertinent values at stake is that of truth. Current figures estimate there are more than 1 billion social media users worldwide with the ability to connect with people who share similar interests, to present themselves as experts on anything and everything no matter their qualifications, and to contribute the types of factual information formerly limited to professional communication outlets such as news agencies. It’s this wide-ranging definition of truth that demands evaluation of the myriad ways social media affect society. This volume does just that by collecting insights from leading experts in the communication and philosophy disciplines as they examine a variety of issues related to the value of truth in the realm of social media.

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Berrin Beasley is associate professor of communication at the University of North Florida. Dr. Beasley works in the areas of media ethics, the media's portrayal of women, and journalism history. Her research has been published in numerous journals and books.

Mitchell Haney is associate professor of philosophy and a director of the Florida Blue Center for Ethics at the University of North Florida. Dr. Haney works in the areas of Business Ethics, Ethics of Leisure, and Ethical Theory. His research has been published nationally and internationally. His is the co-editor (with A. David Kline) of The Value of Time and Leisure in a World of Work (Lexington, 2010).