Social Media as an Expansion of the Supply Chain
Ethical and sustainable businesses are those with social, environmental, or ethical purpose. However, the relationship between the purpose of a business and its engagement with digital space has largely not been acknowledged. This seems to be a major concern that needs greater consideration, especially with the significant global shift to virtual communications within the last two years.
“The internet” (digital/virtual/online space) does not have a physical presence. It is immaterial. Online space is a totally immersive environment that you enter into for participation. It does not exist in the material plane like a cardboard box or other physical object. This makes understanding the role of ethical decision making within online space conceptually challenging. To understand online space in the context of business integrity, we need to temporarily bridge this disconnect by making the immaterial, material.
If we are to begin making sense of how decisions within the virtual world act as an extension of business ethics/values, we must think about online space differently. For this reason, I propose that we think of online space as an expansion of the supply chain; and think about the decision to do any online activity/integration in the same way we would think about the decision to work with a new supplier, carry a new product or form a new partnership. For example, if a business is “plastic-free” then it would be against their purpose to use plastic shipping mailers.
The supply chain is the sequence of processes involved in the production and distribution of a commodity, from the raw materials to the delivery of the final product to the customer. If a customer makes a purchase due to interacting with a website, online marketing, or social media platform, then online space exists (immaterially), somewhere between the stages of production and distribution. If social media is part of the customers “journey” that results in the purchase of a product or service, it is part of the supply chain regardless of it’s tangibility.
When a business has true sustainability/social ethics as their purpose, those ethics direct decision making. When businesses choose partnerships, suppliers, or products, they weigh the pros and cons of each venture. Does working with a certain supplier align with the company’s values and mission? These decisions distinguish a business guided by a social or environmental purpose from one guided solely by capitalism or profit.
In the same way a business would evaluate the ethical practices of a certain supplier or manufacturer for values-alignment, they should also evaluate the ethical practices of each social media platform. If we think of our actions and associations in digital space as an extension of ethics, what are the ethical considerations when aligning with a specific social media platform? An example of this is Lush, a business that recently quit specific social media platforms due to values-misalignment. Here is part of their press release:
“In the same way that evidence against climate change was ignored and belittled for decades, concerns about the serious effects of social media are going largely ignored now… We feel forced to take our own action to shield our customers from the harm and manipulation they may experience whilst trying to connect with us on social media. So Lush will be signing out from Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Snapchat, until these platforms can provide a safer environment for their users.”
Social media platforms are often originally designed as social networks for connection. However, they increasingly integrate shopping and advertisement within the basic user experience. Instagram is a prime example of this, with the inability to use the app only for social networking (as it was originally designed), and “sponsored” posts appearing with almost as much frequency as non-sponsored content. The integration of consumerism and advertisement into a place that billions of people gravitate toward for connection, is problematic. When a social sharing platform is primarily guided by capitalism and profit (not environmental, ethical, or social good) and favours organizations with financial capital, it may not have the best interests of the user (or the planet) in mind.
Customers may now buy directly through social media such as Instagram or Facebook. This app integration bypasses the business itself and makes social media the point of contact. Therefore, any integration, such as connecting your online store to a social media platform must be considered a partnership agreement/decision within the supply chain. In order for these integrations to be made, the business must give the app certain permissions, such as access to customer data. (For example: any Shopify store that is “shoppable” directly through Instagram or Facebook has agreed to permissions that grant Facebook access to customer data, such as addresses, contact info, purchase history etc.) The decision to go-ahead with this integration is a reflection of company values.
Online environments impact the user or customer simply by the nature of exposure or interaction. Merging shopping and consumption with a basic need for human connection, plays on human emotion. It contributes to a culture of materialism and overconsumption. If a business chooses to use an online environment (like a social media platform), it is agreeing to that environment and the resulting effects or consequences. Decisions made within a business send a certain message. They communicate a perspective about the world that represents ideas and values. Since the decisions made within or by a business impact others (people, planet etc.), a business holds a position of power and leadership. Decision making within a business is an opportunity for social/environmental good.
If ethical or sustainable businesses consider all parts of decision making, why is internet use, specifically social media, not more rigorously questioned? We must consider the ethics of using aspects of each online medium (immaterial), just as we would consider the ethics within each part of the supply chain (material).
Social media use has become tacitly synonymous with what it means to have a business. It is not currently thought of as an ethical business agreement with potential consequences, as I suggest it should. There needs to be an ideological shift away from this primary assumption that social media is mandatory, assumed, or even an asset, towards one that first considers if you should engage with it at all. And if a business chooses to engage, what underlying message are they consenting to through participation? In the same way that cigarettes were once normalized, why are we ok using online platforms known to cause harm?
The ramifications of using social media are serious, and yet, to opt out or intentionally say no is almost unheard of. Social media is so integral to how modern businesses operate, that to suggest going without it seems unrealistic. It’s expected for a business to have a social media presence. And yet, businesses existed and were profitable before the internet. If we ignore the current cultural narrative surrounding social media use as inherently beneficial to business and look at decision making objectively in terms of values alignment, then the decision whether to make certain online actions/integrations will become clear.
When we think of parts of the supply chain as opportunities for ethical decision making, actions in online space (intangible extension of supply chain) become ethical partnerships reflective of values and purpose. This idea requires consideration, especially for businesses that claim to be guided by social or environmental purpose. It is arguably even more important for those businesses/organizations whose primary purpose is to address the very problems exacerbated by social media use (such as consumerism or mental health issues). Is there an alignment of values/purpose with the overall effect created by the (online) environment? Businesses need to consider holding the same standard of ethical decision making in how they use online space, just as they would with all other material aspects of the supply chain, such as production or distribution. Everything has meaning. Participating in online space is no different.
“Many people would be disposed to say that it was not the machine, but what one did with the machine, that was its meaning or message. In terms of the ways in which the machine altered our relations to one another and to ourselves, it mattered not in the least whether it turned out cornflakes or Cadillacs”
- Marshall McLuhan, Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man