The society is faced with many problems that emanate from issues like social media dependency, data breaches and poor adherence to environmental laws. The occurrence of such issues even though they might pose small risks to an individual can be unacceptable if a large population is exposed. Such incidences have negative impacts on the society at large. The societal risk is a term used to refer to an event where members of the public are exposed. One issue that has recently attracted attention from scholars and researchers is social media dependency. The practice involves repeated use of the social media to the extent that it affects the performance of alters the social life of an individual. As the number of internet users continues to rise so does social media users which raises concerns about how this issue can be dealt with. Compliance with the existing law continues to be an issue for business entities. As complexities increase, compliance efforts are becoming highly structured as well as formal. Governments have been on the forefront in promoting compliance by offering rewards to the firms that comply and punishing those that fail to demonstrate any efforts to comply (Chen & Tang, 2016). The purpose of this paper is to examine social media dependency and how the issue is affecting the users. The paper will look at ethical issues surrounding the subject and compliance issues.
According to Vrijling & van Gelder, (1997), risks should be evaluated from two points of view. In the first perspective, the focus is placed on the individual who conducts or engages in an activity and weighs the risk versus personal benefits both direct and indirect. This viewpoint constitutes personally acceptable risk level or the acceptable individual risk which is the extent to which an individual can sustain harm following their realization of identified hazards. The possible level of harm can be the loss of life in practical cases. The second viewpoint concerns the society and considers the question whether an action is acceptable based on the risk involved for the entire population. In this case, the notion of risk from the context of the society is reduced to the number of casualties.
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The Concept of risk
A wide variety of research and scientific disciplines tries to explain risk with the traditional statistical approaches incorporating economic research. Different models have been developed to explain risk and are guided by subjective expectations. People from different occupations have their perception towards risk depending on its influence on their life. Thus it is difficult to generalize or develop a model that can be used to calculate the level of risk from different professions (Luhmann, 2017). A risk is an unwanted event that might or might not occur. It is a cause of an unwanted event or the probability of an unwanted event or statistical expected value of unwanted events. According to the international standards organization, the risk is a combination of the possibility of occurrence of an event and its consequences. The risk is a term that causes feelings of urgency as it addresses detrimental or catastrophic outcomes. The same work is used to address different issues. The concept of the professionals and the laymen differ and the difference between these communities is also substantial. The risk is an essential concept in different fields but there is no consensus on its definition and interpretation. Some of the definitions for risk are derived from probability while others emerge from the expected values, uncertainty or objectives. Some people regard to risk as subjective and epistemic or aleatoric or ontological indicating that the situation has not been resolved. The meaning of risk, therefore, varies according to the situation and the perception of the person defining. Therefore different definitions have been given depending on the circumstance, profession, and context in use. Therefore the definitions can be grouped according to the category that the risk is expressed including means of uncertainty and expected value, event and uncertainties and in relation to objectives.
Measurement of Societal risk
A societal risk can be established by determining whether an act is acceptable or not based on the total risk involved for the entire population (Wardman, Fowler, Carter & Saw, 2007). From the societal context, the risk is determined by the number of casualties. It is possible to narrow down the specified level of harm to loss of life leads to the modeling of societal risk to the FN curve or frequency of exceedance curve which shows the death toll from hazards. The best approach to study societal risk is quantitative risk assessment which is time-consuming and requires technical know-how. The FN curve is a pair of the frequencies and the consequences that are likely to emerge which is the number of fatalities. Measures of integral risk can also be used to represent societal risk arising from a site. The numerical values can be compared with some criterion or used as a relative comparison of accident sites or for reducing risk at a single site. Expectation value which is the expected number of fatalities in a year can also be calculated. However, the expectation value does not indicate the differences between frequent accidents that contribute to lower fatality rates and those that contribute to more potential fatalities.
Social Media Dependency
The use of technology is the ultimate goal of any system. System developers and more interested in coming up with platforms that can be used and they have tried to encourage continued use of information system to with the intention of getting the user to develop a habit. As such habits encourage the use of information systems, they also contribute to problems and at times can lead to addiction. Recent studies identified five issues related to information technology; technostress, addiction, information overload, multitasking, and technology misuse. Different studies have concluded that technology has undesirable impacts on the user. Recent developments in the social media have led to the creation of social sites that can mimic real-world social networks. Social media can lead to the frequent use of which can or cannot be desired by the user. However, desirability can change with time as the user continues to engage the social media Gerhart, 2017). A new form of internet use has significantly changed from the traditional use where more social interactions are becoming a common phenomenon. Social networking sites are becoming an integral part of life and have both positive and negative effects on the user.
According to Griffiths (2013), excessive use of social networking sites is a problematic area to the young generation. According to studies individuals addicted to social media experience the same symptoms like those faced by people who abuse substances or other behaviors. The addiction from social media dependency is different from other forms of addictions given that internet has become part and parcel of our life. An online community, for example, has created a family like a network where individuals can chat and exchange information including photos and share different aspects. Despite connecting people from around the world, social media poses a threat to the society as it has changed to the way of life. Many users nowadays prefer their online community than their close friends which has led to social issues including a feeling of coldness and disinterest. Overuse of social media has adversely affected the way of life as most of the time is spent on social networking sites rather than performing official duties or attending classes.
Social media addiction is an emerging issue that has attracted researchers as they try to develop models like the cognitive behavior, social skill and social cognitive models to explain addition to social networks. One researcher suggested that problematic social media use arises when social networking is taken as an essential mechanism for releasing stress, depression or loneliness. The study further noted that individuals who engage in social networking lack real-life socializing skills. Therefore, social media provides a form of reward to such individual. The end result is that such individuals end up engaging in online activities more and more which results in serious problems like conflicts with work or education and ignoring real-life relationships. Such behaviors can further worsen the situation leading to undesired mood. The person will then result to engage social media even more to relieve their moods. The cycle continues and continued use of social media leads to psychological dependency. Therefore a behavioral addiction like social media can be seen from a biopsychological perspective. In some individuals, this form of addiction will exhibit the characteristics of classic addiction which involves mood modification, salience, tolerance, and withdrawal symptoms, conflicts and relapse.
All countries around the world are potentially at risk from social media dependency given that internet use has grown in its popularity and the role that internet plays in our daily life. Availability of social networking platforms worsens the situation in that an individual is connected to their smartphones at any point. It is not uncommon to notice young people walking along the street while busy charting using their mobile phones. Such cases are also evident in the workplace and in classrooms. Most of the time is spent on social media and such individual have no time for their friends or families.
Ethics and Societal Risk
Ethics plays a critical role in averting societal risk. Ethical concerns are emerging issues that have changed the landscape of many organizations as the management is now forced not only to consider the rules and regulations that affect the running of an entity but must consider the effect that their decisions will have to the general public. Organizations are realizing that their success depends on their ability to incorporate good leadership skills and ethics in their decisions. Ethical decisions help organizations to avoid lawsuits and public outcry which might affect their credibility and image. Managers are realizing that maintaining a good image with the public not only increase their trust but also contributes to loyal customers as consumers will be willing to engage ethical companies.
Social media should be used in moderation to avoid cases of overdependence. It is important to ensure that social media is only accessed at the right places and the right time. From an ethical perspective, social media users should ensure that such use does not result in the conflict of interest between work and studies. Users should be careful to ensure that they do not engage in social networking activities to reduce stress, depression or to deal with loneliness. Ethics can be useful at this point in helping social media users to overcome their over-reliance. Being ethical ensures that users do not engage in practices that can cause addiction or over-reliance on social media. Users should consider the impact of their actions on their social life or work and education. (Vadastreanu, Maier & Maier, 2015). Ethics can be useful in the monitoring and auditing of social media use in an entity as it ensures that the use of social media for networking purposes is not affected but must be done in moderation.
Compliance Programs
Currently, compliance programs are commonplace with different professionals engaging in the exercise where some of them have certifying bodies. Different compliance rules apply to many federal rule areas. Compliance is no longer all about legal compliance but also incorporate licensing requirements, industry protocol, standards, and ethical concerns. Globally, foreign compliance regimes apply and are not similar to the U.S. compliance rules. Compliance programs have emerged from voluntary efforts which were intended to protect against corporate monetary policies in case of the federal criminal prosecution. The compliance programs continue to grow in their complexity and are becoming expansive and the additional rules have led to increased requirements with the annual budget exceeding (Usnick, 2013). $1.75 trillion. The need to monitor and audit the compliance system continues to face widespread recognition as different stakeholders try to audit the programs to ensure that they are compliant
Governance, Risk, and Compliance
It includes the concepts of corporate governance, compliance with rules and enterprise risk management, ethical and other compliance issues. According to Usnick, (2013) Governance and risk initially were less important issues but with time they have turned out to be critical management practices and over time the titles given to the other issues have turned out to be less clear. The concept of governance, risk, and compliance is a broad one that looks at issues that incorporate risk. Risk oversight, for example, is an essential element in legal compliance and issues like maintaining compliance and monitoring are essential components of enterprise resource management program which is continuing to grow in its significance.
Role of Compliance Program
The compliance activities, responsibilities, and players should be spread throughout an organization. All compliance functions should be held by the compliance department and not a committee. Initially, compliance appeared from the legal and financial functions. Evidence shows that different corporate roles conflict with each other and therefore there are proponents who are of the opinion that legal, financial and compliance should not be merged. Some of the views given are that legal and financial functions contain risk assessment aspects, therefore, organizational desires for risk should not be merged with the activities of compliance professionals. There are also no clear answers as to whether compliance officers should be in the legal department. There are arguments as to whether the general counsel and compliance chief responsibilities conflict with each other thus separation can help to clear the air on this matter. Similarly, the privileges of attorney-client are likely to be weaker for in-house counsel as they deal with the internal auditing compared to external counsel (Usnick, 2013).
Compliance and Societal Risk
Compliance can help to reduce the impacts of a societal risk. It is evident that an entity that is compliant to law and corporate governance is likely to safeguard the interest of its stakeholders while ensuring that the society is exposed to any risks that can be attributed to the actions of an entity. Governance, risk, and compliance can be useful in ensuring that the efforts of an organization are focused on improving the well being of its stakeholders. It is imperative that the success of an organization depends on its ability to remain within the law, ability to maintain transparent financial information, observe ethical standards and implement organizational wide compliance efforts (Usnick, 2013).
Social media should be used in moderation to avoid overdependence which can result in many negative effects including affecting normal daily activities like schooling or work. Similarly, it affects the social life of an individual as they prefer to use the internet rather than socializing with other people. It is from this perspective that organizations should develop training programs to address the issue and avoid the negative effect of its use. The management of an organization should nurture a culture of compliance which is entrenched throughout the entity and ensure that conflicts are addressed as they arise. The management should establish internet use policies and ensure that all employs comply with them.
Training Plan
Overview
This training plan outlines the purpose strategy and needs to be addressed in training users on data mining. The plan presents various activities that are required to develop the training materials coordinate activities, identify facility and reserve for the trainees. It also includes training needs as well as other tasks related to training. The training activities are meant to empower the users of social networking sites in the organization. The targeted population includes heads of departments, senior management, employees, and other staff. The scheduled training will be conducted in a conference facility where industry players will facilitate the training.
Learning Methods/Activities
The training includes a preliminary session, the introduction, benefits of social media, challenges of the excessive use of the social media. Why social media matters to the organization, Ethical issues in social media and security threats. Each section will be handled by a professional from the organization or from outside. The training coordinator will oversee the entire process and ensure time management and that the trainees are provided with all the necessary items required during the training. He will also ensure that the trainers and trainees are comfortable and are facilitated with all the necessities. The project references include an implementation plan and test plans. The security issue will be handled by the security manager. Any important information that needs to be secured will be labeled as sensitive and access will be granted to authorized people only.
Issues and Recommendations
It is expected that the training will achieve the desired objective. However, there are concerns over the ability of the training to guarantee behavior change and a proper understanding gave that the training period is short and there are many issues that need to be covered. Some of the materials used in the training are to be circulated to the participants in their emails. However, chances are high that some of the participants will not read the material on their free time. A summarised version will, therefore, be required in addition to the detailed copy.
Needs and Skill Analysis
The target audience includes user, professionals, technical professionals, top management, supervisors and heads of departments. The course will include different issues as stated above which will be facilitated by professional instructors from the respective areas.
Evaluation of Training Program
Presentations, questions, and answers including case scenarios will be used throughout the training. Group work and discussions will also be used where each group will select one member who will discuss a topic which will be selected at random. At the end of each session, an evaluation will be conducted to determine the understanding of the participants. A recap session will also be allowed to enhance the learning process.
Training Audit
The trainers will use questions and answer in the curriculum development process and the techniques for identifying the progress and performance of the trainees will be highlighted.
References
Chen, J., & Tang, X. (2016). The distributed representation for societal risk classification toward BBS posts. Journal Of Systems Science And Complexity , 30 (3), 627-644. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11424-016-5099-z
Gerhart, N. (2017). Technology Addiction: How Social Network Sites Impact our Lives. Informing Science: The International Journal Of An Emerging Transdiscipline , 20 , 179-194. http://dx.doi.org/10.28945/3851
Griffiths, M. (2013). Social Networking Addiction: Emerging Themes and Issues. Journal Of Addiction Research & Therapy , 04 (05). http://dx.doi.org/10.4172/2155-6105.1000e118
Luhmann, N. (2017). Risk: A Sociological Theory (Communication and Social Order) . New York: Routledge.
Usnick, l., & Usnick, R. (2013). Compliance program auditing: the growing need to ensure that compliance programs themselves comply. Southern Law Journal , XXIII .
Vadastreanu, A., Maier, D., & Maier, A. (2015). Is the Success Possible in Compliance with Ethics and Deontology in Business?. Procedia Economics And Finance , 26 , 1068-1073. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/s2212-5671(15)00931-4
Vrijling, J., & van Gelder, P. (1997). Societal Risk and the Concept of Risk Aversion. Advances In Safety And Reliability , 45-52. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/b978-008042835-2/50005-9
Wardman, M., Fowler, A., Carter, D., & Saw, J. (2007). QUICKFN: A Simplified Methodology For Societal Risk Estimate, (153).
Wu He, (2012),"A review of social media security risks and mitigation techniques", Journal Systems and Information Technology, Vol. 14 Iss: 2 pp. 171 - 180
