Checklist for Creators: Ethical Digital Content Creation Rules that  Creators must Follow

Content creation is nothing new in the digital landscape. Every next person is now experimenting with creating content online. The digital landscape provides so many opportunities for people to put out their talent and the best part is that space is accessible to homogeneous. And while digital media is democratizing the curation and access to information for all, where one can stumble is when they do curate information in a manner that’s wrong, ethically. There can be times when simply due to lack of awareness, creators miss upon following the digital content creation ethics. Hence, here is a guide for ethical digital content creation rules that creators must follow.

Ethical Digital Content  Creation Rules that Creators must Follow

1. Crediting the source of Information

The first ethical rule digital content creator must follow is crediting your sources. While creating any content, there are good possibilities that you will refer to content parallel to your idea. And if you are taking even a bit from other sources, give them due to credits for the same. Crediting the source of information increases your credibility. Provide backlinks to the sources you are referring to, quote if you are taking anything as it is, and choose the best ways to give credits because it will increase your credibility as well.

2. Knowing if your content is copied or inspired

There is a very high chance that while consuming one kind of content, you will get inspiration for your next content. And it is absolutely alright. When it can become problematic is when you fail to identify the difference between copied and inspired. Your content should be your original, even if it’s inspired. It should have something new. If you feel that it is exactly the same as what you saw, then you probably need to rethink it.

3. Know the copyright rules

Among all the ethical rules digital content creators must follow, this one is the most important. Knowing about the copyrights. Always beware of the content you are using, if it is copyrighted or not. Especially in the case of visual content, it becomes highly important to use content that’s not copyrighted. And just in case you fail to follow the copyrights, then you might have to face the legal repercussions for copyright infringement.

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4. Protect your content

While you are entitled to check that you are not breaking any ethics of content creation, you also need to ensure that your content is protected properly. In the digital space, it can really get difficult to protect your content, but if you are creating on any social media platform, then refer to their copyright guidelines. The very basic you can do is add a watermark to your content so that you don’t lose the authorship of it.

Eg – To protect your pictures on Instagram, you can add a © symbol to indicate that the person will be needing your permission before using it. Instagram also provides an option to submit copyright takedown notices, so you can always report to Instagram whenever you find someone using your image/ content.

5. Ensuring the righteousness of your content

You can’t create anything and everything. Ensure that your content doesn’t have any denoted or connoted meaning that’s wrong or misleading. Ensure that whatever you are saying, creating is not beyond your right to freedom of speech and expression. It should fall under the rights given under Article 19 (1) a and should not be falling under the contents of Article 19(2).

Know more: Article 19 (1) a and 19 (2) 

6. Knowing about the prohibited content

Different sites have different guidelines for what content has been prohibited. For example, obscene content, pornographic images, disturbing graphics, hate speech etc fall under the prohibited content. Beware of such content and refrain from creating that.

So, these are the ethical rules digital content creators must follow. Creating the ethically right content is highly important in the present times as you can get to face the repercussions, legal and critical if you will fail to follow them. So, be an aware creator and enjoy creating content.

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