Abstract:
The objective of this research was to study the behavior of using information communication technology (ICT) by youths for the purpose of seeking and learning ethics. Moreover, it was intended to also study of the relationship between the factors resulting in communicating ethics through ICT by youths. This research was performed adopting the survey research method coupled with the qualitative study method, gathering data from questionnaire-based surveys of 200 sampled youths along with in-depth interviews of 21 sampled youths. The study finds that the sample group are mainly define ethics as goodness, behaving virtuously and having good consciousness to separate the good from the bad. The sample group are motivated intrinsically to seek and learn ethics at early young age. As for communicating ethics through medias, it has been found that the sample group has a characteristic of seeking and learning ethics in a mixed character combining personal communication, mass media and ICT. The sample group has exposed and interacted ethical information through ICT at a considerably low level. The facilities the sample group most uses for communicating ethics are the website, e-mail and web-board. The sample group prefers exposing selectively the websites belonging to the reference group where they study ethics physically more than other ethical website sources. As for the characteristic of ICT considered as most supportive in seeking and learning about ethics for youths are as follows respectively: the form of a multimedia, being a media that is quick and efficient for use, having a search engine and being a media with an asynchronous nature. However, the limitations of ICT in terms of ethics the sample group is not too satisfied with are the context that still requires much improvement, both in terms of quantity and quality, to suit the juveniles, the presentation that also requires a special characteristic, like multimedia, to better attract the attention of the youths and as for reaching them, more advertisements on how to get to more context of ethic on the internet are required. As for the format for most beneficial usage from communicating ethics trough ICT, it has been found that the sample group uses ICT as the data source for answers to their curiosity and problems in lives, as the information source for additional learning about ethics and for giving consultation to friends. Additionally, the sample group use ICT as the source for entertainment and relaxation. The relationship between the various factors can be summarized that the sample group with different sex is significantly different in behaviors in communicating ethics; specifically the female tends to have the behavior at a higher level than the male. As for the factors of the behavior of exposing to ethics through mass media, namely television, radio and magazines, have positive correlation with the communicating ethics through ICT of the youths; in the form that TV have the highest correlation. As for the factors of the satisfaction of characteristic of ICT, there is the only factor which is the online community that correlates with communicating ethics through ICT in a low level.