Ethics of Journeying

In recent years, the ethical problems that arise from digital technology, media and data have become more apparent, especially in the acquisition of personal data, how it is processed and used. As branded distribution channels and social media merge, so the opportunities for personal data capture increase. While data is used to benefit customers by personalising their communications, products and experiences, they also lead to problems of privacy, permission, bias and data security. A customer journey itself is characterised by movement, it is not a static, single event. During the journey, a customer can encounter many touchpoints that enable brands to gather a wealth of data and second, problems of surveillance and digital ‘stalking’ that can occur while progressing through the journey. Digital identities are created but are also open to unauthorised access, hacking and misuse. Misrepresentation, scamming and fake goods can appear throughout the journey from social media posts and stories to products and brands, so that truth and falsehood become more difficult to define and apply. These form the dark side of the journey and consumers have needed to be more vigilant and informed about these dangers. But little is known about how their concerns influence the fashion shopping journey through its different stages. This is significant in the fashion journey, which with its global connectivity and level and frequency of engagement with consumers, creates many ethical dilemmas. The lack of regulation and variation in policies towards data use and storage across different countries and continents contributes to the poor definition of ethical problems and how best to deal with them. It remains unclear which international bodies should regulate and control the use of data and how this could be achieved, given the diversity of geo-political entities, commercial practices and cultures that are engaged with data processing.