The professors at De Montfort University Leicester, UK, have assembled a taskforce to predict the next Twitter-like big thing in social technology, with the aim resolving related ethical pitfalls before they become a problem. As outlined in their press release, “ETICA researchers will identify emerging technologies and will also decide how they are likely to be used. They will then list the ethical issues that are likely to arise from each possible application and devise a method to grade and rank them.”

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So, here’s an example of where crowdsourcing could have saved the day… Oh and likely millions of dollars. 

In early 2009, Tropicana revealed a fresh look for their juice cartons. But customer uproar was so loud and consistent, that within two months, it was pulled and replaced with the old. Tropicana’s parent company, Pepsi, was inundated with backlash from OJ consumers, many of whom protested the new look’s “generic” and anonymous appearance. It wasn’t just familiarity and fondness; it was practical – people couldn’t find the new cartons on the shelves.

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