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Essay Available:
Pages:
6 pages/β‰ˆ1650 words
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5 Sources
Style:
MLA
Subject:
Technology
Type:
Essay
Language:
English (U.S.)
Document:
MS Word
Date:
Total cost:
$ 32.4
Topic:

Twitter and the Theory of Utilitarianism: Is Twitter Good for Society?

Essay Instructions:

double-spaced, with 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred). The topic can see the requirements in the appendix. Be sure to write in accordance with the contents of the attachment. The title can be named by the writer.

Instructions for the Final Paper

Write an essay in response to the prompt below. Your paper is due in Canvas by 11:59 p.m. on May 9th. It should be 6-8 pages, double-spaced, with 12-point font (Times New Roman preferred). I include below the paper prompt, structure, and evaluation (plus, tips for success!). I will provide a fair amount of feedback on the final paper to help you with your writing skills.

Final Paper Prompt Choose one technology to write on, such as the internet, cell phones, a search engine (e.g., Google), or a social media platform (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Choose one you find interesting! Choose one of the following ethical theories to write on: virtue ethics, utilitarianism, deontology, or social contract theory. Again: Choose one you find interesting!

Question 1. From the perspective of the ethical theory you’ve chosen, what are the 3 strongest reasons you can think of as to why your chosen technology is (or could be) good for societies?

Question 2. From the perspective of the ethical theory you’ve chosen, what are the 3 strongest reasons you can think of as to why your chosen technology is (or could be) bad for societies? Whichever ethical theory and technology you choose, your paper will discuss 1 technology, 1 ethical theory, and 6 reasons total (three for the technology, three against it). For example, in a paper called “Twitter and Virtue Ethics,” you could discuss three reasons why Twitter improves societies and three reasons why it hurts them in terms of persons’ development of virtue. Alternatively, you could write a paper titled “Google and Utilitarianism” on Google’s impact on societies’ overall levels of happiness or pleasure. There are many possible topics; pick one you wish to explore.

Citing sources: You may (but need need) use sources from our course or elsewhere. If you do, cite them using any sufficiently informative style (one that includes author, title, date, year, page #, etc.). References in footnotes or in a bibliography with in-text or footnoted citations will be fine.

Paper Structure Your paper should have the following structure:

• Top of paper o Include your name and your Phil 343 section #. o Your essay should have a title with this structure: Name of technology and Name of ethical theory: for example, “Google and Utilitarianism.”

• Introduction (1-2 paragraphs) o This section should briefly mention your chosen technology and theory, your thesis, and each of your three reasons for/against the technology (in one sentence each). It should also describe, in 1-2 sentences, your view of the overall value of the technology you have chosen to discuss in light of the ethical theory you have chosen.

• Section 1 (3-6 paragraphs) o Write at least one paragraph on each of the three reasons why you think the technology you have chosen is or could be good for societies from the standpoint of the theory of ethics you have chosen. How does this technology add value? How does it improve lives?

• Section 2 (3-6 paragraphs) o Write at least one paragraph on each of the three reasons why you think the technology is or could be bad for societies from the standpoint of your chosen theory of ethics.

• Section 3 (1-3 paragraphs) o Consider the overall value of the technology for societies. Given the reasons you have discussed for and against the value of the technology, is it good for societies overall?

• Section 4 (2-3 paragraphs) o Consider 1 objection to your analysis: Why might someone disagree with your overall value assessment, and why do you think they are mistaken? o For example, suppose you write on Twitter and virtue ethics, and you say that Twitter is valuable overall mainly because it enables individual people to stay informed and to develop intellectual virtues. In Section 4, you might consider how someone might object to this claim, and why you think their objection would be mistaken. An objector might claim that Twitter causes users to develop intellectual vices. Even if you agree, you might argue that Twitter still promotes virtue more than it promotes vice. (Or, if you argue in the other direction, more vice than virtue.)

• Section 5 (1-2 paragraphs) o Briefly conclude your essay. Restate the main plusses and minuses from sections 1-2, your view of the technology’s overall value given the ethical theory by which you assessed it, and why the objection you considered was not decisive.

Evaluation

You will be graded based on the following criteria:

- Structure: Does the paper have the structure indicated above? Does the paper respond carefully to all parts of the essay prompt? Does the paper have a clear thesis statement? Is it clear how each paragraph is meant to support the overall thesis?

- Understanding: Does the author display a strong command of the ethical theory and a full understanding of the technology on which they have chosen to write?

- Most importantly: Does the author make an interesting & compelling argument?

- Depth: Does the essay’s analysis go beyond surface-level assertions and develop well-supported arguments? Does the essay include helpful examples?

- Style: Is the writing elegant? Are points made directly and without excess words? Does the essay merely repeat texts or PPTs, or make points in the author’s own words, using their own voice?

- Creativity: Does the essay include new or creative thinking about technology and its ethical assessment?

Essay Sample Content Preview:
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Twitter and Utilitarianism
Introduction
The growth of social networking sites provides the world an opportunity to become globally united. As one of the most popular social media sites, Twitter boasts 436 million monthly active users (Statista Research Department). Twitter attracts an audience of varying age groups, with those between 25 and 34 representing its largest audience at 38.5% (Statista Research Department). Social networking sites are said to have offered the world an avenue to become increasingly connected, and this is indeed true about Twitter. In this paper, the focus will be on Twitter and the theory of utilitarianism. Utilitarianism is a theory that seeks to enhance the state of society as a whole while opposing policies and activities that could harm or cause misery. Through the lenses of the utilitarianism theory, this paper seeks to inquire whether Twitter is good or bad for society. On the one hand, Twitter can be good for society because of the advantage of there being content for all age groups, learning new skills, and opportunities to make a living. On the other hand, Twitter is highly addictive, can become an avenue or channel of misinformation, and allows the presence of spammers. However, regardless of the disadvantages leveled against Twitter, the social networking site remains useful, especially if its predictive capabilities are considered. In due time, Twitter can become a useful tool for researchers, scientists, and investors in helping predict and track trends.
Why Twitter is Good for Society
One of Twitter’s advantages in line with the utilitarian theory is the availability of content appropriate for people of all age groups. The theory of utilitarianism seeks to promote actions that help enhance every person’s life. As a theory of morality, utilitarianism seeks to bring about the best outcome for every person regardless of their age group. If there is any crucial addition in society, the theory of utilitarianism posits that every member ought to benefit. According to Hruska and Maresova (2), social media platforms have specific target audiences, and they work towards ensuring that they can highly capture such audiences. However, relying on a particular audience to maximize a company’s profitability could prove detrimental, especially when other social media networking sites are attracting people of all ages. Twitter appears to be well aware of the above and has made it possible that there is content available for all age groups. Though the age group that makes up the majority of Twitter lies in the 25-34 age group, Statista Research Department indicates that teenagers as young as 13 years and the elderly designated as 50 and above will also find content favorable to their ages.
Aside from the above, Twitter offers all users the advantage of learning new skills through the platform. One of the biggest advantages of Twitter is that it provides opportunities for users to learn whichever skills they might be interested in. In line with the utilitarianism theory, Twitter does not limit access to these skills or accounts that appear to be offering lessons. First, Twitter has been touted as a social media platform that ca...
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