Digital Media Creation Ethics: How Far is Too Far?

Insights into the dark side of digital media creation, and what can be done to remedy it.

What is Digital Media Creation Ethics?

Digital media creation ethics seems like a complicated term, but it reality, it represents a very simple concept. According to the Center for Journalism Ethics at University of Wisconsin-Madison, digital media creation ethics is defined as “dealing with the distinct ethical problems, practices and norms of digital news media.” Digital media is anything from journalistic stories, to social media content, and even blogging. Many people delve into the world of digital media creation for fun, and watch their content quickly evolve into a career with a significant platform. While this is great for many people to make an income off of, it can quickly turn into an ethical blight.

Infographic of ethical social media use. Source: lawinfo.com

The case of Ruby Franke and 8Passengers

A monumental and fairly recent case of digital media ethics is the case of Ruby Franke, Jodi Hildebrand, and the YouTube channel 8Passengers. Ruby Franke, her husband, and 6 children were members of an extremely successful YouTube channel called 8Passengers. Their content was family and faith-based, and showed their everyday lives as a Mormon family living in Utah. Ruby, who spearheaded the channel, posted daily about the goings-on in her family’s life. She was even sometimes criticized for being ‘too personal’ when it came to sharing about her children’s lives. However, little did the public know, there was something much more sinister going on in the Franke family when the camera stopped rolling.  

In 2023, Ruby Franke and her business partner Jodi Hildebrand were arrested for aggravated child abuse and sentenced to 30 years in prison. Franke and Hildebrand were found to have tied up Franke’s two youngest children in the basement of Hildebrand’s home, denying them food and water and making them stand in the blazing sun for hours on end.  

This event led to many question the ethics of family vlogging channels on YouTube. Many have spoken out against these channels, saying that these parents exploit their children for views and income, as well as not giving children privacy to have a normal childhood. Shari Franke, Ruby Franke’s eldest child, addressed Utah lawmakers about creating legislation against family vlogging. Franke stated that when children are included in these family vlogs, they become ‘child influencers,’ and home becomes a business, not a loving family. She made the chilling statement ""There is no such thing as a moral or ethical family vlogger." 

The situation involving Ruby Franke and her family has made many question the ethics of parents involving their children in online content. While the sentiment may start as innocuous, it can quickly turn into a damaging environment for a family that may lead to disastrous results. 

The Franke family. Source: ABC News

Steps to creating ethical digital media

While ethics in itself is hard to define, there have been suggestions for steps to follow in order to create digital content ethically: 

Honest Advertising

This is a pillar for ethical media creation in all forms. Misleading viewers to think they are getting a certain kind of content and then getting another one can lead to distrust. 

Transparency in Communication

Using family vlogging as an example, making sure to be transparent with fans is extremely important. Especially since the viewers of family vlogging channels skew younger, it is incredibly important to be truthful in creating content. 

Not making false promises

In terms of family vlogging (and creating content on YouTube in general), clickbait is often a form of false promising. Clickbait is when the title of the content misleads the viewer into thinking the topic of a video is different than what it actually is about. Falsely promising what a video is about is not ethical because a viewer may not want to consume certain content, but are led astray by clickbait. 

Final Thoughts

While there is no rubric on what is considered exactly ‘ethical’ in terms of digital media creation, but there is a fine line between right and wrong in this context. However, it is clear when that line is crossed. Implementing the strategies mentioned in this post as well as being aware of unethical digital media creation is an important step towards creating ethical digital media content.