Technology has evolved to be an integral component of the way organisations run, communicate and make decisions. Technological advancement, as a digital marketer, has been an asset to be more efficient, to understand my customers better and get a better outcome for my clients. Ethics in Digital Disruption and Leadership in Digital Transformation lectures was particularly thought-provoking in this case, challenging whether technology is always appropriate with respect to its capability.
Ethical lag was a concept that stood out, which is basically when technological development advances at a quicker rate than the ethical implications can be caught up with. This led me to re-examine an assumption: if a technology exists and has a commercial use, then it is an appropriate application of the technology.
Big data and AI in consumer surveillance resonated with me in my professional experience and work. Digital platforms enable businesses to gain insights into audience behaviour and enable them to connect with their audience more personally. These features have the potential to enhance customer experiences, but also pose concerns related to privacy, informed consent and the appropriate use of personal information.
I learnt that there’s a distinction between the information that companies can gather and the information that they should use. Although an activity may be for the purpose of a business, it is important that professionals think about whether their customer is aware of how their data is being used and whether fair decisions are made.
This learning has expanded my knowledge of the professional responsibilities. While I was under the impression that effective use of digital tools can improve organisational performance, I have now realised that it’s critical to consider the repercussions that come along with it.
Going forward, I plan to be more intentional with privacy, transparency and fairness as factors in assessing marketing technologies and data-driven strategies. I also want to stay up to date on ethical issues around new technologies and not presume that compliance is necessarily equalling responsible practice. A key takeaway was that the real cost of digital innovation can’t be solely gauged by organisational performance and efficiency as it needs to take into account the consequences of trust, ethical responsibility and privacy concerns.
The real cost of digital innovation can’t be solely gauged by organisational performance and efficiency as it needs to take into account the consequences of trust, ethical responsibility and privacy concerns.