AR3: How to be ethical on the Internet

Question: How can psychologist (and the general public) ethically use social networking to deal with interpersonal issues? What are some potential hazards?

            In this day and age most of society is involved with some social networking site. Be it Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, etc. most of society uses one. One of the main uses for these social networking sites is not to make connections with people but to vent. Many people post things about how they are feeling at that moment, who they are in a fight with, and other such personal information. While this is essentially the purpose of these sites at times this can cause an ethical issue. With so much information being put online nothing is private any longer. Lannin (2013) states that for many, being on a social network is like being part of a very small community (no matter how large the network itself is), everyone knows everything about everyone.  Many people don’t think that Internet has to adhere to the rules of the outside world, they think that they are immune. In this article: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=0452d2d5-79ee-4a49-bb68-9a013519bd60%40sessionmgr15&vid=3&hid=17, we find that the Internet does have its own set of laws. It also has its own set of enforcers, as seen by the Yahoo! Case. After reading this article another question came to my mind: If the Internet has its own set of laws do the laws of the outside world actually apply?

            For psychologists this brings in the topic of ethics. Is it ethical to look into patients social life via their social networking updates without their consent or knowledge? Thinking about life outside of the Internet it is completely unethical to delve into the lives of your patients unless that information in important, like you think they may hurt themselves or someone else, or it is information that is already provided to you. In this article: http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3b62353b-fbac-44ac-84a3-2432d0dbceab%40sessionmgr10&vid=3&hid=17, there is an argument that “basic principles of ethical conduct should not change just because the venue for the behavior in question is now virtual reality.” I would agree with this and state that no matter how someone is getting psychological help the way that they are helped should be conducted in an ethical manner no matter how they are helped. Unfortunately, there are studies that show that ethical behavior is slightly different while using the Internet than it would be in a face to face situation. While the shift is slight, to me it is no less concerning.

The use of technology in the field however is not a new thing, http://ehis.ebscohost.com/eds/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?sid=3b62353b-fbac-44ac-84a3-2432d0dbceab%40sessionmgr10&vid=7&hid=8, however, the methods that are being used to interact with clients have advanced along with technology. Some problems with this are: “Questions about validity, efficacy, and safety of different Internet-mediated techniques for psychological assessment and therapy remain largely unanswered as the field rapidly evolves. Constant innovation in tele-health continues to outpace the development of specific guidelines for delivery of services.” Because the technological advances are happening faster that the APA and other such psychological groups can make guidelines for using these new innovations mistakes in ethical activities are being made. The privacy of patients is being put into question, as well as the accidental slip of information. Cyberspace is a very non-discriminating area in which any information that is passed through it is available to anyone who wants to get their hands on it. This is essence means that any information provided to a patient from a psychologist, or any information passed through emails from psychologist to psychologist has the potential of being seen by someone other than the intended person. This opens up everyone who uses Internet psychotherapy to a possible breach of confidentiality. While using new technology is an almost inevitable step, caution should still be used. While in the cyber realm it is very easy to lose sight of what is ethically and morally right.

References:

Cohen-Almagor, R. (2012). Freedom of Expression, Internet Responsibility, and Business Ethics: The Yahoo! Saga and Its Implications. Journal Of Business Ethics, 106(3), 353-365. doi:10.1007/s10551-011-1001-z

Fisher, C. B., & Fried, A. L. (2003). Internet-mediated psychological services and the American Psychological Association Ethics Code. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research, Practice, Training,40(1-2), 103-111. doi:10.1037/0033-3204.40.1-2.103

Lannin, D. G., & Scott, N. A. (2013). Social networking ethics: Developing best practices for the new small world. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice,       44(3), 135-141. doi:10.1037/a0031794

Williamson, S., Clow, K. E., Walker, B. C., & Ellis, T. (2011). Ethical Issues in the Age of the Internet: A Study of Students' Perceptions Using the Multidimensional Ethics Scale. Journal Of Internet Commerce, 10(2), 128-143. doi:10.1080/15332861.2011.571992