Values and ethics guide decision-making by providing standards for judging what is right or wrong, fair or unfair, just or unjust, and proper or improper. This concept is shared by SL and HL students in IB Digital Society.
Values are principles and priorities held by individuals or communities. Ethics involves applying reasoned standards or frameworks to decide how people ought to act. Values influence which outcomes a decision-maker considers important, while ethics helps assess whether the means and consequences are acceptable.
The decision-making process usually works in four stages:
- The individual or group identifies the available choices and affected people and communities.
- Values determine which concerns receive priority, such as privacy, safety, equality, freedom, or efficiency.
- Ethical reasoning weighs competing rights, responsibilities, benefits, and harms.
- The decision is expressed through conduct or through frameworks, professional codes, organizational rules, policies, and laws.
| Decision-maker | How values and ethics guide the decision | Possible tension |
|---|---|---|
| Individual | Personal, cultural, or professional values shape choices and responsibility for consequences. | Personal freedom may conflict with the welfare or privacy of others. |
| Group or organization | Shared values are formalized through rules, codes, policies, and decision procedures. | Members may disagree, while powerful stakeholders may determine which values dominate. |
| Government | Collective ethical priorities may be expressed through laws and regulation. | Public safety may conflict with privacy, equality, or freedom of expression. |
A common misconception is that values and ethics always produce one objectively correct decision. In Digital Society, stakeholders often apply different values to the same digital system. For example, a platform may prioritize efficient data use, while users prioritize consent and privacy.
In an IB exam, use the concept to explain why stakeholders support different actions. For an evaluate or discuss question, present competing perspectives, weigh their consequences for at least two stakeholder groups, and reach a supported conclusion rather than merely listing ethical concerns.
