Digital Image Ethics: Social Practices and Technological Mediations

1. Introduction

In the interdisciplinary scope of media sociology and communication ethics, the connexion between the digital image and ethics of social practice and technological mediation are increasingly pressing and changing. Of particular concern is the digitization of the image of the mass media and social media. The recent digitalization of photography and, in a broader sense, of everyday life is a determining factor for research, as media sociology and ethics of communication are now obliged to approach the digital or miss investigating and theorizing an extensive and significant cultural activity. The ways of life, collective uses and customs, cultural patterns, everyday lifestyles, social practices and mediated social relations, for example, are in permanent transformation and are now digital and due to the new technological devices.

Ethics is important at any time or situation. In a current world of misinformation, ethics is even more important in the context of the use and effects of new digital technologies like digital images. Ethics is eminently a practical field concerned with what we should do in any given situation. According to Elliott and Spence in Ethics for a digital era, as Aristotle would say, ethical learning, in this case, digital ethics as it applies to the media, comes through individual and group reflective practice and not just through the reading of articles and books on the topic (Elliott & Spence, 2018).

Therefore, digital ethics is relevant for digital images in real life. Digital ethics play a crucial role in the modern world, particularly when it comes to digital images and the rampant spread of misinformation and fake content. As Beever, McDaniel and Stanlick point out in Understanding Digital Ethics: Cases and Contexts, digital ethics is a way of thinking about the ethical implications of the digital, or digital technologies and the cultures they co-constitute. Digital ethics is akin to other emergent fields of applied ethics. The ease of manipulating images with advanced software tools has made it increasingly difficult to discern between authentic and doctored visuals. This has serious implications for society, as misinformation and fake images can lead to the spread of false narratives, the erosion of trust, and even real-world consequences. Some real-life cases highlight the practical importance of digital ethics for digital images in the context of misinformation and fakes. For instance, the “deepfake” phenomenon that involves the use of artificial intelligence to manipulate audio and video content, often resulting in highly realistic but entirely fabricated portrayals. In 2019, a deepfake video of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg was created, where he appeared to confess to controlling people’s stolen data. This video raises awareness about the potential misuse of deepfakes and highlights the need for ethical concerns in creating and sharing digital content, as these technologies can be exploited to deceive and manipulate audiences.

Another real-life case highlighting the practical importance of digital ethics for digital images in the context of misinformation and fakes is the warped reality through Photoshop and other image editing tools. These technologies can be used to create images that depict events in a way that didn’t happen. During the 2014 Ukrainian crisis, a photograph of two Ukrainian fighter jets was manipulated to appear as if they were attacking Russian forces. Another problem arose when this image went viral, fuelling misinformation and potentially escalating the conflict. This case underscores the ethical responsibility of content creators and consumers to verify the authenticity of images before accepting them as truth.