From Unreflective Communication Ethics Practices to Literacy

Oftentimes when we feel very strongly about something, we are quick to voice our opinions without much prior reflection. This usually results in communication that might offend others, whether or not it was our intention. This might not be a huge problem if we are used to communicating within a close circle of people who share our same virtues, but voicing opinions on a public forum without taking other’s positions on the issue into consideration is bound to create a contentious situation that will likely spiral out of control when the right parties are involved. Chapter one notes that, “Emphasis upon communication ethics literacy shifts discussion of ethics from the position of weapon and condemnation to questions about learning and deliberation” (p. 8).

When I read this section of the chapter, I immediately thought of people who post their strong opinions on social media. One example that fits well with this is back in August, Target announced that they were going to steer away from gender signing in *exclusively* their toy department. “Girl’s Building Sets” and “Boys Building Sets” among other gender-separating signage would be consolidated into respective categories. Many people took to Target’s Facebook page, complaining about the changes, assuming that Target thought it was wrong to have gender identity Some of the comments are really difficult to read, and for me, it was difficult to imagine that people could be so ignorant.  However, mediated communication is often causes people to not take time to reflect upon what they are saying because they don’t have to see anyone else face to face, witness their reactions, or stay present to defend their side of the argument should anyone dispute it.

The best part about this whole scenario, which is why all these negative comments received attention in the first place, was a guy who made a fake Target Facebook account to “troll” all these people who made rash assumptions about Target. He turned many of their own words against them, giving them a little taste of their own medicine, but in a tasteful manner that was extremely funny from an outsider’s perspective. He successfully took their hateful comments as an opportunity to open the floor to both sides of the issue to promote deliberation and learning, as the book mentioned is key for literacy in communication ethics.

Link to Target Troll if you haven't seen it!!