Why being ethical should still matter today
The Cambridge Dictionary describes ethics as “a system of accepted beliefs that control behaviour especially such a system based on morals”.
In today’s world, everything is completed, or seems to be, at a high pace speed. There are always new ideas and products being found. Social media seems to be everywhere and the younger generation just seem to be living in it 24/7. It also seems that everyone is just out for themselves and don’t seem to worry about others, so does this mean that being ethical is yesterday’s news and perhaps it doesn’t matter today?
Doing the right thing
Basically, ethics is all about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching you. It is all about moral principles and guiding us on our decisions, helping us work out what’s wrong and what’s right. The world has changed an awful lot over the last 10 years but the need for ethics hasn’t changed. In actual fact, it might be more important now than it ever was. Trust is everything. It is needed everywhere as it keeps everything running smoothly. When you act ethically people know that they can rely on you. When you don’t, the trust gets broken and everything that you’ve built can fall apart.
The explosion of social media, has given a new slant to the whole ethics game. Social media means that almost everything we do is out in the open. People are always quick to pick up on something you have done wrong, or they see as in-appropriate. This can go viral, in a matter of minutes. That person could then get a barrage of negative comments and their reputation is damaged. Surely this makes it more important than ever, to stay ethical and not just to keep a clean image.
Social media has also made people be more accountable. People now expect individual, companies and public figures to be responsible. It means that they have to meet Public expectations, if you don’t, there could be and has been worldwide consequences.
Consumers value ethical businesses
If you own a business, ethics are really becoming more important. Consumers are getting a lot fussier about who they support and who they would buy from. If there are two companies selling exactly the same product the consumer is more than likely to use the company which is more ethical and also gives back to Society rather than a company which doesn’t. This means that businesses that put ethical behaviour at a high priority are gaining more customers and are standing out from the competition.
Being ethical is not just about making money it is also about making decisions which are the right decisions and that are fair to everyone concerned. (The growing interest in B Corp Certified businesses is one demonstration of that, I think.)
Out-dated or still valued?
So is being ethical old fashioned? In actual fact, I would say that in this day and age, with social media and everyone knowing what everybody else is doing, I believe that being ethical is just as relevant as it ever has been. The ways that we face ethical challenges may have changed over time, but the principles guiding them haven’t. In a world where our actions can have wide reaching effects (thank you Internet!) ethics aren’t just a nice to have but nowadays they are a must have. Being able to build trust with other people, I believe, is more important with the complexities of modern life than it ever has been. As a society we still need fairness, justice and respect. Ethics are a massive part of what makes us human and I am pleased to say I believe they are here to stay.
Read more about greenwashing, about single-use plastics and about making new habits on these links.