Relevance of ethics in the 21st Century

Author/s: Ellamaritthe M. Dolendo

Rizal Technological University
maritthemorales@gmail.com

Abstract: Ethics is one of the things that the individuals should remember all the time. Its the key for the people to
understand any kind of circumstances and can react to any kind of situation in a good and positive way. This is
an attitude on how to react in different situation and when or what are possible things to do when you are in
tight situation. Ethics is the discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong. The
term also applies to any system or theory of moral values or principles. Ethics deals with such questions at all
levels. Its subject consists of the fundamental issues of practical decision-making, and its major concerns
include the nature of ultimate value and the standards by which human actions can be judged right or wrong.
In this paper, the researcher will be answering the question is the code of ethics is still relevant to the 21 st
century? Providing facts and data that will make an answer and conclusion to the question, better and broad
knowledge that the researcher will try to enlightened to the readers.
Keywords: Ethics, Code of Ethics, Social Media, Modern Trend, Culture, Morality

INTRODUCTION:
The morality of people to react on situation on what is right or wrong has been based by their own self-
belief, culture and understanding, creating situation with two different person can make the argue a lot
worse. But sometimes ethics doesnt provide people what they really expected; it doesnt show the right
answer to all the morality and beliefs of people.
Social media, one of the things that has been evolving through centuries but as time passes by, the more
technologies innovates the world the more and different perspectives of individual has been shown.
Facebook, twitter, instagram, YouTube & etc. are the social media circulating on everyones mobile phone.
The concept of these is to show to everyone they knew, how they feel, expressing their self and fighting on
what they thought were right and wrong. Popularity also is the generations new inspiration, either doing
what is right or wrong, the individual who seeks popularity did whatever it takes and have desperate move
to be on the popularity line. As a researcher and also a teenager, individuals have they own perspective to
be on the popularity list and as a matter of fact the trend is by showing of their body which the researcher
think is wrong, Correcting the grammar of other people to make themselves smarter than others, Making
fun of people who has disability or uncertain things and telling everyone that it is just a joke. Making wrong
facts and spreading to everyone has a major impact to the society.

1.0 CONTENT:
1.1 Ethics
Ethics is what you do when no one is looking George Bernard Shaw (slideshare.net)
This is a quote that simplifies the meaning of ethics. Describing ethics generally means the studies of
virtues, values and moral principles. It is subjected to the fundamental issues of practical decision-making,
and its major concerns includes the nature of the fundamental issues and the standard by which human
actions can be judged right or wrong. It includes to the behaviour, personality and attitude of an individual.
Ethics will show how a certain individual socialize with other human as him. It will also define his reaction
in a situation that he faces. Ethics can be defined as the role of ethic in civil life, in the important areas of
science and technology.
This principle of ethics can be lean at school, at home, in church, mosque, In our professional and family
setting. This is normally come during our childhood, pre-school days and we go through that training
throughout our life time. Although, the training we received may be differ from one another but it always
on the same direction of ethics whether right or wrong principle of life. Some people may wrongly define
ethics as normal or common things that happen in our societies. But the questions still remains why do we
go through a lot environmental challenges on ethics during our time in our society.

1
 Relevance of ethics in the 21st Century

1.2 Code of Ethics

A code of ethics is written document that is given to the members of the organizations, this written
principles is all about conduct and behaviour and to serve as a guide. The main purpose of ethical codes as
said above by the researcher is to give to the employees, staff, members & etc. These codes obliges as the
professional integrity, honesty and equality and to avoid misconduct by individuals. A code of ethics may
be the outline of the mission and values of the business or organization and set standards to the employees
and staff. A code of ethics will start by setting out the values that underpin the code and will describe a
company's obligation to its stakeholders. The code is publicly available and addressed to anyone with an
interest in the company's activities and the way it does business. It will include details of how the company
plans to implement its values and vision, as well as guidance to staff on ethical standards and how to
achieve them.
Furthermore, a code of ethics may simply rule certain but might be the policy of an organization, it might
help create a uniform and more orderly organization by setting aside these written conducts. These codes
may be suitable and be legalize by the law for more reliability and accurate for the employee to follow.
1.3 History of Ethics
Ethics is all started with humanity, the teachings of the bible that tells all the principles of life that you
should do and how to live your life to the fullest. Considering the Ten Commandments written on the bible;
everyone else, even people have different religions do follow the principles of bible. The human crime was
inevitable by these commandments; everyone should not do what is written on the book.
Inappropriately, time passes by, people change the way on ruling things. Each principle has been set by
various rules and elaborated by the government. In other countries, Murder is punishable by death while in
the Philippines murder was guaranteed as Reclusion Perpetua.
1.4 Social Media Ethics
In the researchers main topic, ethics in social media has been brought up to its negative sides. The main
purpose of social media is to communicate with others but individual turned their social media accounts
into something that might affect everyone. The risk for example is the privacy, is it right to tell everyone in
their social media accounts what are the exactly details of happenings in your life? Is it right to snoop
around on what is not yours? These are the thing that might people think. On the bigger part, The cyber
bullying, everyone knows about this; bullying someone who has disability, bullying someone who has
unidentified things and also bullying someone who has scandal and the worse spreading and making fun of
it. The fall sense of connection, According to Cornell University's Steven Strogatz, social media sites can
make it more difficult for us to distinguish between the meaningful relationships we foster in the real world,
and the numerous casual relationships formed through social media. Other social media tells the society
some fake news for example the Mocha Uson Blog, it has millions of followers but their facts are irrelevant
and are only based by self-expression and people has been brainwashed by it.

Figure 1 Mocha Uson Blog (https://web.facebook.com/Mochablogger/: Mocha Uson)

Nowadays, the complex web of interactions between social networking service users and their online and
offline communities, social network developers, corporations, governments and other institutions along
with the diverse and sometimes conflicting motives and interests of these various individual will continue to
require rigorous philosophical analysis for decades to come.

1.5 Morality against Culture

Moreover, is about the morality against culture, some people might argue on their different point of view,
lets think about abortion. Other people agreed and of course the others are not. How about the Sex
Education, Other people thinks its more liberal for children to understand it and others tell it is okay to

2
 Relevance of ethics in the 21st Century

learn these things to educated children that have high curiosity level. Last is the Death Penalty, this topic
has been arguing through years because it might be wrong to be legalize and it might be right for the safety
of people On some point, ethics is all about what the individual had learned in the past few years and just
envelop the things on their comfort zone. It is their own conclusion to decide whether the things are right or
wrong for them. Even those Ten Commandments and other Philosophers sayings it ended up by the
individual who will come up on what he/she thinks.

2.0 CONCLUSION
Ethics has different perspective regarding on different situations. Thus, ethics and its relevance to the 21st
century is a necessary tool not just for the organization but also individual who wants success. Those
values, principles and virtues will be a huge part of every life to fulfil their own dream by doing what is
right. It is like shaping your own life by setting professional behaviour. This should not be forgotten or been
ignore.

3.0 REFERENCES
Staff, I. (2015, August 29). Code Of Ethics. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from
http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp

Moreno. M. A., Goniu N. Moreno, P. S., & Diekema. D. (2013, September). Ethics of Social Media
Research: Common Concern and Practical Considerations. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3942703

Vinjamuri, D. (2012, March 05). Ethics and the Five Deadly Sins of Social Media. Retrieved March 28,
2017, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidvinjamuri/2011/11/03/ethics-and-the-5-deadly-sins-of-
social-media/#78ce9d333e1f

Janet Johnson, Strategic Marketing Consultant Follow. (2009, May 06). Ethics in Social Media. Retrieved
March 28, 2017, from https://www.slideshare.net/janetjohnson/ethics-in-social-media

Vallor, S. (2012, August 03). Social Networking and Ethics. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from
https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/ethics-social-networking/

Kwan, M. (n.d.). Reason Why Social Networking is Bad. Retrieved March 28, 2017, from
http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Reasons_Why_Social_Networking_Is_Bad

The Ethics of Using Social Media in the Workplace (n.d.). Retrieved March 28, 2017, from
http://www.workplaceethicsadvice.com/2016/02/the-ethics-of-using-social-media-in-the-workplace.html

Ethics and Social Media: Where Should You Draw the Line? (2012, March 12). Retrieved March 28, 2017,
from https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/openforum/articles/ethics-and-social-media-
where-should-you-draw-the-line/