ABSTRACT
Digital communication technology includes any electronic means by which we communicate with one or more people not physically present with us. Smartphones have become ubiquitous over the past few years along with thousands of apps. There are at least 5 billion cell phones in use at the time of this writing. These forms of communication represent a profound revolution in how we communicate with one another and raise new and complex ethical questions. One must be aware that such communication should be assumed to be both public and permanent. The anonymity people may assume online may or may not be assured. The instant access to communication can lead to misleading or inaccurate information spiraling out of control. Once the message has been sent out into cyberspace, the senders have lost control of it. The dangers of deception and manipulation introduce new words for our lexicon, such as spoofing and catfishing. The perceived anonymity we seem to enjoy online can spawn abusive communication, often involving racism, sexism, or other related forms of bigoted communication.
