Practicing Advertising and Public Relations Ethics on Social Media

Sarah Volk 

sv673116@ohio.edu

 

With the rise in social media and online media content, the ethics practices in public relations have changed drastically.

While journalists adhere to several codes of ethics, the codes public relations and advertising professionals should follow aren't as clear-cut as journalism ethics codes. 

Many public relations and advertising employers look for strong ethical reasoning skills in their employees, and many struggle to find candidates that meet their expectations. This is, in part, due to the fact that ethics training is rarely required of employees in public relations and advertising professions.

The need for ethical guidelines in public relations and advertising is at an all-time high with the surge in digital and social media.

This explosion of internet and social media use within the last 15-20 years has been a complete game changer in the fields of advertising and public relations. It has had an enormous positive impact on companies within the two fields, but with new opportunity comes new risks.

The rapidly changing digital environment has taken a toll on the practices of advertising and public relations. Ethical practices on social and digital media have become wildly more important.

Picture source: The Goss Agency

Public relations and advertising professionals must be open, honest and transparent in the same way that journalists must be. Establishing trust with consumers is essential to digital advertising and PR.

There must be a recognizable line between advertising and content. Social media users must be able to distinguish between the two without having to take a closer look.

In addition to establishing a clear distinction between ads and content, user/data privacy on social media is also a major concern.

For social media sites such as TikTok, there have been concerns about data privacy. With TikTok's algorithm, it is easy for advertisers to reach their target audience; however, there is a very fine line between TikTok marketing and user content that often gets blurred on users' "For You Page."

In an article by Kaya Ismail titled "Why Should the Potential TikTok Ban Matter to Marketers?" he states, "While data collection can help consumers, the use of personal data can be classified as an infringement on consumer privacy, which calls for much more responsible management of user data."

There are many ways advertising and public relations professionals can practice ethics on social media. One of the major things these professions should avoid is raising any privacy concerns. 

In an article by David van der Ende on Social Media Explorer, he states, "Privacy is very important for social media users, and marketers should never lash out at users, fans or consumers on their social media accounts. If your company leaks any personal information, this can lead to a tarnished reputation or backlash that can ruin a business."

In the advertising and public relations professions, practicing good ethical reasoning is essential to the current, ever-changing digital landscape. Transparency is essential to social media advertising and public relations.