With a foreword by Luciano Floridi
This is the first textbook on the central ethical issues of digital media, ranging from computers and the Internet to mobile phones. It is also the first book of its kind to consider these issues from a global perspective, introducing ethical theories from multiple cultures. It further utilizes examples from around the world, such as the publication of “the Mohammed Cartoons”; diverse understandings of what “privacy” means in Facebook or MySpace; why pirating CDs and DVDs may be justified in developing countries; and culturally-variable perspectives on sexuality and what counts as “pornography.” Readers and students thus acquire a global perspective on the central ethical issues of digital media, including privacy, copyright, pornography and violence, and the ethics of cross-cultural communication online.
The book is designed for use across disciplines – media and communication studies, computer science and informatics, as well as philosophy. It is up-to-date, accessible and student- and classroom-friendly: each topic and theory is interwoven throughout the volume with detailed sets of questions that foster careful reflection, writing, and discussion into these issues and their possible resolutions. Each chapter further includes additional resources and suggestions for further research and writing.
ISBN: 9780745641645 / £14.99 GBP / $22.95 USD - Buy from Polity Books
"Digital Media Ethics is a wonderful resource for scholars, teachers and all who are interested in the ethical implications of new digital media. With his unique understanding of ethical theories from multiple cultures, up-to-the-minute discussion of digital media examples and clear powers of exposition, once again, Charles Ess has produced a book which will be compulsory reading for philosophers and digerati alike."
Alison Adam, University of Salford
"This book is a concise and rich introduction to digital media ethics. Ess combines a sophisticated consideration of how philosophies of ethics apply to new media with grounded and insightful case studies of hot button issues in the current digital environment."
Nancy Baym, University of Kansas
"In Digital Media Ethics, Charles Ess provides a unique and timely look at pressing issues facing all of us in an interconnected, global society. The text is philosophically inclusive, well researched, and clearly presented. It is a goldmine for classrooms across disciplines, as it offers many opportunities for critical reflection and engagement. A brilliant collection of the theoretical, practical, and pedagogical."
Elizabeth Buchanan, University of Wisconsin
Find related blog entries... (tag: ethics)
