The main focus of this thesis has been to examine how our ethical sensibility is affected when communicating via certain media. The phenomenon has been examined with a phenomenological angle, where this author’s own lifeworld has been the main focal point. The starting point for the study was therefore a personal interest in a religious debate that takes place on the social entertainment media YouTube. The content of the religious debate can mainly said to be a discussion about the value of religious thought, discussed from the standpoint of a scientific rational paradigm. Here I noticed a number of problematic themes that seem to have serious implications. Later in my phenomenological investigation I identified the problems seemed to revolve around a lack of ethical sensibility – Which in I myself was guilty of. This seemed to be based on a constant appeal to objectivity and undermining of subjectivity. In other words: Science and ideology where made to be of higher priority than the people whom they are intended to serve. This trend seems to be reinforced by YouTube as a medium, where the medium creates distance in the interpersonal relationship. A problem that further seems to have important implications on how we approach scientific thinking and methods.
This thesis is therefore both an interpretation of a phenomenon with interrelated issues, a reflection of my life world and a description of a learning process. At the same time, this thesis is also a comment on a mediated religious debate, a comment on how YouTube affects the dissemination of the debate messages, and a comment on scientific methods and scientific self-perception in this regard.
To examine and discuss the concerns of the subject matter, I have used the written thoughts of three relevant and interesting thinkers. McLuhan provides a broad and in-depth perspective on media and how they affect us. The Danish philosopher K.E. Løgstrup gives a unique examination of how our interpersonal relationships is the basis for ethics. While another Danish philosopher Søren Kierkeegaard and his notion of subjective and objective truths, delivers an explanation on how our relationship to the truth effect our attitudes to life and each other.
The conclusion of this thesis is to point out, if there is to be formulated ethical guidelines for how to communicate through a given media, then the media itself strongly has to be taken into account. The reason for this is that media potentially can have a distancing and alienating effect on our conscious, in regards to other humans with a different worldview than ourselves, if we are not aware of how the specific media can influence or perception and behavior. Furthermore this negative effect seems to emanate from a “hidden” design in YouTubes structure, which feeds the user with content that corresponds with their search preferences. Therefore I also point out, that a solution can be found in the design of the media itself.