User-generated content and Ethical consideration

in the digital public sphere

By Dongyan Wang

IntroductionSummary of the readingUser-generated content: readers’ commentsAgenda-setting Ethical decision makingEthical frameworks of Kant and AristotleDiscussion

Why Comments More communication opportunities in the

digital public sphere The feature of leaving comments The case of animal experimentation in

the reading The case study of Ye Shi Wen http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/sports/

olympics/london/swimming/story/2012-07-31/doping-suspicions-olympics-swimming-Ye-Shiwen/56627342/1

Agenda-setting Readers’ comments in agenda-setting

The feature of leaving commentshttp://www.dailychilli.com/buzz/19055-namewee-

threatens-lin-dan-on-youtube

The against of leaving commentshttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/news/

9440248/Ye-Shiwen-16-year-olds-Olympic-swim-impossible-says-coach-John-Leonard.html

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Decision making Based on your knowledge and previous

experience Based your habits

Ethical framework of Kant Duty Kant thinks only a good will, duty, has

moral worthy leading to maxims and principles

Humanity principle

Ethical Framework of Aristotle

Virtue Aristotle says any virtue is a mean of tow

vices, e.g. courage is a mean of rashness and cowardice, and moral virtues can be acquired by practice and habituation although it is hard to define a mean because of our natural tendencies

(Aristotle, 2004 [Trans. Thomson]).

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Golden meanexcess MEAN deficiency

rashness Courage cowardice

boastfulness Truthfulness understatement

shyness Modesty shamelessness

envy Righteous malicious

obsequiousness Friendliness cantankerousness

indulgence Justice indifference

caution Wisdom

Discussion Tasks

Do you think online users could engage with agenda-setting or the agenda-setting processes of established professional media in today's digital era? How and Why?

Based on ethical frameworks of Kant and Aristotle, What should we keep in mind when we are making decisions on ethical issue or doing journalistic practice in the digital public sphere? (All the examples of animal experimentation, doping and offensive video clip involve ethical issues. You can take them as examples )