Ethics and digital communication: partners or conflicting parties?

How are ethics influenced by the constant development of digital communication? How do communication parties ensure a common ethical understanding? And do ethics still play a role at all in these developments? These questions are particularly relevant to interpersonal communication. Ethics and digital communication are closely linked.

From Prof. Dr. Patrick PetersProfessor of PR, Communication and Digital Media and Vice-Rector for Research and Teaching Material Development at the Allensbach University

Digital communication refers to the exchange of information, ideas and messages using digital technologies. In the age of the internet and advancing digitalization, digital communication has become an integral part of our daily lives. This progress also has a particular impact on interpersonal communication. Also known as interpersonal communication, this process refers to face-to-face communication and encompasses communication or all communication processes under the specific condition that people are the communicators. This means that people exchange information and feelings through verbal and non-verbal messages.

Digitalization of interpersonal relationships with new challenges

Digitalization has had a significant impact on interpersonal communication. Advances in information technology and the spread of the internet have significantly changed the way in which people communicate with each other. This is also related to the fact that verbal contributions are known to be particularly convincing when they are specifically supported by body language, facial expressions, etc., so that non-verbal communication is in harmony with verbal communication. This follows the well-known iceberg model of the psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud, who modeled the conscious and unconscious in communication in the image of an iceberg: Only about 20 percent of the communication process is based on facts and information and is therefore visible (conscious). The majority consists of feelings, moods and interpretations and is therefore invisible, like most of the iceberg under the surface of the water (unconscious).

This factor plays a special role in digital interpersonal communication, both in any form of private communication and in any organizationally driven communication, for example in product or service communication or in sales talks. E-mail, instant messaging services, social media, forums and discussion groups, virtual collaboration tools and other media offer the advantage of fast, efficient and cost-effective communication that is independent of time and space. However, due to the 'digitalization of interpersonal relationships', they pose the problem that the communication partners must rely almost exclusively on understanding at the conscious level according to Siegmund Freud. Due to the digital distance, they cannot develop a sense for the unconscious and correctly interpret the corresponding non-verbal signs.

Observing ethical principles in interpersonal communication promotes positive and respectful cooperation

This also has an impact on ethical issues, as ethics and interpersonal communication are closely linked. As is well known, ethics deals with moral principles, values and norms that determine correct behavior and interaction between people. Communication, on the other hand, refers to the exchange of information, ideas and emotions between individuals. Ethical considerations therefore play an important role in interpersonal communication, as they determine how we treat each other, how we choose our words and actions and what effects they may have on others. Observing ethical principles in interpersonal communication promotes positive and respectful interaction. It helps to build trust, strengthen relationships and resolve conflicts. It is important to be aware of how our communication affects those around us and to strive to communicate ethically and responsibly.

Ethics and digital communication: honesty and truthfulness are important

For example, ethics in communication emphasizes the demand for respect for the opinions and feelings, for the dignity and autonomy of other people and for treating others with respect and courtesy. Ethics also require honesty and truthfulness. In communication, participants should therefore endeavor to tell the truth and not spread false information. Lies or deception can damage trust in interpersonal relationships. Ethics also encourages the development of empathy and compassion for others. In communication, this means that participants should strive to understand other people's perspectives and empathize with their feelings. Through empathic communication, misunderstandings can be reduced and conflicts avoided. Ethics always emphasizes fairness and justice. In communication, this means treating other people fairly and not disadvantaging or discriminating against anyone. Finally, the ethics of communication require us to take responsibility for our words and actions.

The great challenge of digital interpersonal communication is to consistently fulfill this ethical requirement. Digital communication allows people to hide behind a certain anonymity and maintain a certain distance. This may have advantages, such as a more open and honest sharing of opinions and experiences. On the other hand, this can also lead to inconsiderate behavior, as people may feel less of the consequences of their words and actions. This dilutes and complicates the basic ethics of interpersonal communication.

Encoding and decoding more difficult in digital interpersonal communication

It is important to note once again that digital communication brings its own challenges. Misunderstandings, also in an ethical sense, can arise due to the lack of non-verbal communication, as tone of voice, facial expressions and body language are often not visible in digital channels. It is true that people can express their thoughts and feelings in more diverse ways through the use of multimedia elements such as images, videos, emojis and GIFs. But many intentions remain undetected, in the Freudian sense of the word, below the surface because there is no direct interpersonal contact. If at least 80 percent of communication takes place unconsciously, i.e. via feelings, moods, interpretations and the impression of non-verbal communication, a large part of the understanding process in digital interpersonal communication is lost, so that unintentional ethical misunderstandings are almost inevitable.

According to Stuart Hall, communication is the transmission of a message from sender A to receiver B. This requires the same encoding and decoding for sender and receiver, otherwise there will be a disruption in communication or a misunderstanding, i.e. the sender encodes (constructs) the message in a certain way that depends on their level of education, knowledge of the topic, world view and intention. The receiver, in turn, decodes the message (i.e. tries to decipher the code used and understand the message) based on their own level of education, worldview and feelings. When B has interpreted A's intention, he/she initiates a new communication process with the reply (this time in the opposite direction)

Basic ethical conditions are often overridden

In digital communication, this process of encoding and decoding can be disrupted more quickly for the sender and receiver than in analog communication. After all, the possibilities of encoding multiply on the one hand, for example through the use of digital linguistic codes and symbols, and on the other hand, the scope for understanding through facial expressions, gestures and the like is lost. As a result, this has a particular impact on ethical aspects such as respect, honesty and empathy in order to promote constructive and meaningful communication. A look at practice shows that the typical rules of socially accepted interpersonal communication are often overridden in the digital world: Anonymous insults, insincerity, irresponsible statements etc. are the rule, not the exception, in the digital world.

This means for ethics and digital communication: The Kantian formulas of ethics "Act as if the maxim of your action should become a general law of nature through your will" and "Act in such a way that you use humanity both in your person and in the person of everyone else at all times as an end, never merely as a means" often play a subordinate role in digital interpersonal communication, as does the rule of discourse ethics according to Jürgen Habermas that "only those norms may claim validity that find (or could find) the consent of all those affected as participants in a practical discourse" (Habermas, Jürgen (2018): Moral Consciousness and Communicative Action. 13th edition. Frankfurt am Main: Suhrkamp Taschenbuch Wissenschaft, p. 103), is often ignored.

Important task: Reduce scope for misunderstandings

So if the question is whether ethics and digital communication are partners or conflicting parties, the answer is that digital interpersonal communication often shows a disturbed relationship with ethics. But there is no natural conflict. The communication parties must develop a common ethical understanding that incorporates the generally recognized, binding rules of a society and recognizes digital interpersonal communication as another common level of communication that is not removed from or above these basic rules. The ethical conditions of interpersonal communication also continue to apply to the digitalization of communication - and must be even more strongly accentuated in this space in order to reduce the scope for misunderstandings due to the lack of interpretable non-verbal signs.