Things You Should Be Grateful For, Martin Luther King Jr. and Instagram Followers

According to Zac Efron’s post, Martin Luther King Jr. and Instagram followers are equally important.

In 2016 on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Efron posted on Instagram and Twitter stating “I’m grateful for a couple things today: Martin Luther King Jr. & 10 million followers on IG,” the caption was accompanied by a picture of Efron in a car.

Efron was quickly called out for his insensitivity. He deleted the original post then issued an apology stating “I have nothing but the greatest admiration & respect for MLK. My last post was insensitive & I apologize to anyone who I offended. So sorry.”

According to Bowen (2013), there are 15 ethical guidelines everyone should refer to when using social media. I will be using Bowen’s (2013) ethical guidelines to further analyze Zac Efron’s post.

1. Be fair and prudent

• Efron celebrated Martin Luther King Jr.’s achievements and his own achievements in the same post. This overshadowed the importance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

2. Avoid deception

• The tweet’s purpose could have been to bring attention to Efron’s achievement.

3. Maintain dignity and respect

• Efron’s post was disrespectful towards Martin Luther King Jr. and the work he did.

4. Eschew secrecy

• This does not apply to Efron’s post.

5. Is it reversible?

• Efron deleted the post and apologized but that does not change the fact that thousands (possibly millions) of people saw the post.

6. Be transparent

• This does not apply to Efron’s post.

7. Clearly identify

• This does not apply to Efron’s post.

8. Rational analysis

• Efron’s post was offensive and may be seen as dishonest.

9. Emphasize clarity

• Efron’s post was intended to recognize his and Martin Luther King Jr.’s achievements.

10. Disclose

• This does not apply to Efron’s post.

11. Verify sources and data

• Efron’s post was honest.

12. Establish responsibility

• The post was irresponsible and not the right thing to do.

13. Examine intention

• There is no way to truly know Efron’s intentions. Efron wanted to recognize both achievements but did it in the wrong way as the post overlooked Martin Luther King Jr.

14. Encourage the good

• The message of Efron’s post is hurtful as it overshadows Martin Luther King Jr.

15. Consistency builds trust

• It does not appear that Efron’s post created trust. The post reinforced any negative opinions people may have had about Zac Efron being selfish and egoistic.

After considering Bowen’s (2013) 15 social media ethical guidelines, it is clear that Efron’s social media post was not ethical. To avoid this, Efron should have posted about Martin Luther King Jr. Day in its own post and celebrated his Instagram follower count the next day. This mishap emphasizes the importance of educating yourself before you post publicly on social media, especially when you have 10 million Instagram followers.

References

Bowen, S. (2013). Using classic social media cases to distill ethical guidelines for digital engagement. Journal of Mass Media Ethics, 28, 119–133. (In Canvas)

Ledbetter, C. (2016, January 19). Zac Efron Angers Fans With Inappropriate Martin Luther King Jr. Day Post. HuffPost Canada; HuffPost Canada. https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/zac-efron-mlk-day-post_n_569e39fbe4b04c8137615c23?ri18n=true