2. Ethical Social Media Marketing in Africa

Consumer perception of ethical standards in the use of social media marketing determines trust and loyalty. Social media marketing in Africa is a dominant marketing channel and, thus, must be guided by ethical marketing practices. However, ethical standards relating to social media marketing pose new challenges. To understand what ethical issues should be considered when using social media in marketing, this chapter reviews the pertinent ethical issues organisations and practitioners must incorporate in their marketing efforts. Some of these ethical concerns include fairness, avoiding deception, maintaining dignity and respect, information security and privacy, empathy, transparency, and verifying the source of data. This chapter also acknowledges the role of legal requirements across many African countries that may guide ethical social media usage. The authors identify some professional ethics that can guide organisations in the conduct of social media marketing. The chapter contributes to understanding the state of ethical issues in social media marketing in developing economies.