Communication Ethics in an Online Age

Kati E. Sudnick and Matthew P. Mancino present a theoretical pathway for understanding media ecology and virtue ethics in the virtual space of a postmodern age. Starting from McLuhan’s premise that electronic media expands the human central nervous system into the universe, Sudnick and Mancino dissect the origins and functions of social media and examine recurring themes such as community and isolation; security and insecurity; identity, anonymity, and selfhood; and social boundaries to better understand the unintended consequences of using this variegated medium as a central means of human interaction. In using virtue ethics as its primary analytical lens, this book goes beyond simply identifying the impact of social media on human interaction to unpack the broader implications of these effects and emphasize their influence on the human condition as we continue to navigate an online world.