Introduction The ASCE code of ethics is the constitution for civil engineers. Since this binding document was created in 1914, technology has vastly changed [2]. Humanity has created a technology so powerful, that it can mobilize movements, commence careers, and ruin reputations. Today this technology is known as social media. These internet platforms appear to be harmless with the ability to find friends and share memes only a click away, but the dangers begin when an individual overshares. Criticizing one’s employer, or sharing discriminatory views can have dire consequences, especially for engineers. Although social media was not around when the code of ethics was founded, it provides guidelines for professional and personal use of social …show more content…
Engineers already use a variety of tools to do this including the Dream Big campaign, career fairs, and social media [2]. The reason social media is becoming a more popular means of educating the public is it allows for rapid distribution of information. In fact, this is how ASCE informed the public about EWeek and encouraged everyone to participate in learning more about the engineering profession [4]. Because ASCE used social media, the information shared could be accessed by anyone as soon as it was posted. This is just one of many examples of how the power of social media can be harnessed to extend the public’s knowledge of …show more content…
Social media has groups dedicated to disseminating new research and information from the engineering field. This makes social media an excellent tool for extending professional knowledge. In general, social media can also inform engineers of problems within their profession, and begin to work towards solutions. This is what happened with the #ILookLikeAnEngineer campaign. The campaign promoted the idea that being an engineer is just one of many attributes that makes up a person [1]. The campaign was started in the hopes that perhaps colleagues would not assume whether someone was an engineer based on their sex [1]. Social media is one of many tools that engineers have at their disposal to achieve the high standards of the ASCE code of ethics. When an engineer chooses to use this tool, they take on the responsibility of using social media correctly, and it is for this reason that social media does define a civil. Making the ethical decision originates in a person’s character and spills over to every aspect of their life. Therefore, when an engineer makes ethical decisions when using social media that is a representation of who they are as a person as well as an