Ethical challenges in online social networks: The content production and the opinion of professionals

Abstract

Communication with a commercial purpose, developed to promote brands and sell products, services or ideas concerns the field of ethical analysis, as the commercial objective of paid and sponsored content must be disclosed, for the sake of transparency and to respect the readers. The starting question "What is the opinion of content producers on ethical practices in their production?" guides this research, which aims to assess the opinions of communication professionals regarding ethical and unethical practices derived from the relationship with bloggers and influencers in online social networks. We used the qualitative method, conducting seven semi-structured in-depth interviews with public relations professionals and journalists, and an interpretative analysis of the results. In specific terms, we defined the following objectives: To understand what requirements the use of influencers in online social networks (including blogs) must have to be considered an ethical practice, and to compare the opinions of paid content producers and journalists regarding ethical practices in a digital environment. We have concluded that there are increasing ethical concerns related to credibility of content producers, bloggers, and digital influencers.