Social Media Ethical Issues: Role of a Librarian

     Social media is simply defined in this 2013 article by J. Wasike as "an instrument of communication but with a social aspect to it." Included in the list of examples of social media are the websites YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr, blogs, wikis, and MySpace. The prevalent use of social media have given rise to ethical concerns such as those that include identity, privacy, surveillance, friending, and user exploitation--"users are lulled into a false sense of security by the web sites who seek to profit from their information."
     J. Wasike pointed out that, as the modern library embraced Library 2.0 "making the library's virtual and physical spaces more interactive, collaborative, and driven by user needs," the librarian's role is expanded to include the knowledge and ability to use social media. Beyond being aware of the basic features of these technologies, librarians must "engage in discussions about the consequences of social media ethical issues," and be able to educate library users on social media and related ethical issues.

Three Points

     1. Deleting it does not mean it is gone...forever.

     2. Ethical concerns in using social media.

     3. Librarians are not to sit back and relax.

Deleting it does not mean it is gone...forever.

     One of the things that was mentioned in the article was the fact that it is extremely difficult to be sure that information is permanently deleted and equally impossible to ascertain that information is not shared or copied. Deleting or deactivating personal accounts in the social media sites is especially troublesome as the person does not have a hold on the information that has been shared, distributed or copied. This is a major issue that librarians must be able to express concern in to be able to educate and advocate for a more ethical use of social media technologies.

Information in/and social media.

     J. Wasike pointed out that "with ready access to social media, many users tend to focus on quick retrieval and do not always understand the importance of evaluation and maximization of information contained therein." The librarian's role therefore becomes a necessity as there is a need to educate library users on how to evaluate information and information sources. It is the librarian who is best suited for this role as he is sure to be trained in information and media literacy.

Librarians are not to sit back and relax. 

     More than manning the physical librarian's desk, a librarian need to ask himself "How can I provide the best and fairest balance between social media access and protection?" Librarians need to engage in the discussions for a more ethical use of social media technologies. More than being aware of the basic ins and outs of social media usage, the librarians need to"make decisions with the objective of helping all library users develop their sense of ethics and then to translate this reflection to action."

Implication

     The academic library I am in right now is not actively engaged in the discussions on ethical issues in social media. In the first place it is not actively using social media technologies. I have only started to realize that the social media is a great tool for the library, through the librarian, in order to effectively and efficiently reach out and provide service to its primary clientele. However, this does not excuse me from the fact that I need to educate myself in order to improve myself professionally, in effect improving the library I am serving in.

     "How can I provide the best and fairest balance between social media access and protection?" is the best question that a librarian can ask himself to be able to effectively serve the library users of today. Engage. Advocate. Educate. The librarian can not afford to sit back and relax. He needs to be at the forefront knowing that he is in the best possible position to advocate and educate library users on ethical issues connected to the use of social media.

Reference

Wasike, J. (2013). Social media ethical issues: role of a librarian. Library Hi Tech News, 1, 8-16. 

     doi: 10/1108/07419051311320922