Ethical Issues in Social Networking

Social networking sites (referred to more broadly as social media) are a collection of websites and applications that enable users to swap ideas, post updates and comments, and participate in activities and events while sharing their interests with other users. From general chit-chat to propagating breaking news, scheduling a date to following election results, gentle humor to serious research, social networking sites are used for a variety of reasons by various user communities. Nowadays, nearly every person who has access to a computer and Internet indulges in some kind of social networking on a daily basis. The introduction of social media has changed the entire dynamics of our lifestyles: the ways we live, work, and maintain our friendships. Despite its numerous advantages, social media does yield some negative effects. However, the benefits of social media greatly outweigh its negative effects.

One of the most highly debated issues in the business world is the use of social media profiles as a determining factor in the hiring process. Some people feel that using someone’s social media profile is an invasion of privacy because it uses something from their personal life to determine their professional success. As long as the company follows some basic guidelines I believe there is nothing wrong with them looking into the profiles of their potential employees. It is important to point out that while looking at many of the different ethical ideologies, this practice does not violate the ethical conducts. Teleologists would agree that looking into someones profile will ensure that you are hiring someone who will conduct themselves in a proper manner. Therefore, the means of looking into their personal lives justifies the ends in which you hire a professional with good character. Deontologists would likely agree that as long as the company does not try to find loop holes to see into protected accounts that they are respecting the rights of the individual and therefore are not being unethical. I believe that it is reasonable for a company to use social media profiles as a basis for hiring because everything posted on the internet is public domain, it allows them to get an understanding of who the potential client is, and you want to ensure that you are hiring someone who fits in to your company.

Social networking is a website which can be used to interact with other people on the same platform. This can be used to meet new people and keep in contract with friends and families. In this report I will be explaining different social medias and their purposes. Also I will be giving real examples of the social media webpages.

So I ask, is it right or wrong ethical for employer to access employee’s social media page? One con of this is that an employee may not be able to express themselves without the fear of being dismissed. From the selection “Fired up or just fired,” Rhonda has an explanation and research results on cons of the connectivity of having employers as “friend”, “recent study of companies with 1,000 employees found that 8% of their employees have actually been dismissed for their

In 2014, a physician at Spectrum Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, was terminated after commenting on a picture posted on FaceBook by a nurse (Thoms, 2014). Although the picture was taken outside of the hospital, the physician did make comment regarding the former patient. Other employees who also made comments about the picture, were also terminated. The hospitals rational was it was a HIPPA violation to make comments on social media even when the patient is not under their care. The case illustrates the extent that HIPAA violations and compliance can impact health care providers. This is an example of how the use of social media can create moral and ethical dilemmas. With the increased use of technology and our dependence on the digital communications there are greater threats for patient privacy violations. Even the most innocent posts on social media can be misinterpreted and be considered a violation of privacy.

In this day and age, social media has become an integral part of our lives. It has created a platform for people to share information instantly and communicate with people all around the world. Facebook is the most outstanding example of successful social media network. According to the first quarter 2015 earnings announcement by Facebook, the site has achieved 1.44 billion active users per month, and 65% of which are daily active users. Other social networking sites such as Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn are also a powerful means of communication. With such a large audience, social networking sites provide ample opportunities to acquire information, network, and connect with friends.

Kenneth Partridge, editor of The Reference Shelf presents social networking as a whole. " The book in the series contains several articles addressing current social trends and their issues " according to (Partridge, 2011). Thus networking, business, societies take, fundamentals, dangers and the social networking phenomenon overall. Each chapter is devoted to provide background information, single subject, and discussion from several points of view.

With the evolution of technology, social media sites are growing in popularity. From Myspace to Facebook and Twitter to Linkedin, social media has become part of everyday life for most people. Statistics show that ninety eight percent of adults age eighteen to twenty four use social media in some form (Brain). This age group is entering the workforce and it is important they know their rights regarding their personal social media accounts and how the information found can be used by their employer. It is also important that they know what rights the employer has in protecting itself from social media used by its employees.

Social networking is a way of connecting people in the virtual world. Social networking websites have exploded in recent years,

* What makes social network sites unique is not that they allow individuals to meet strangers, but rather that they enable users to articulate and make visible their social networks. This can result in connections between individuals that would not otherwise be made, but that is often not the goal, and these meetings are frequently between "latent ties" (Haythornthwaite, 2005) who share some offline connection. On many of the large SNSs, participants are not necessarily "networking" or looking to meet new people; instead, they are primarily communicating with people who are already a part of their extended social network. To emphasize this articulated social network as a critical organizing feature of these sites, we label them "social network sites."

Over the years’ social media has become increasingly popular. More people from different age groups have been taking part in accessing social media. I believe social media has become a big part of our culture today. I remember years ago when I was younger, social media wasn’t as popular as it is now. As the years have gone by, I see more and more people using social media for everything they do. It ranges from younger children who have internet access to older people such as parents and even grandparents. Social media has become a form of communication, a way to interact with friends and family, and an outlet for people to express themselves. Social Media has become so popular that future employers might even get the urge to search a possible candidate’s social media and look through personal information. In my opinion, it is an invasion of privacy and would develop a one sided opinion of the candidate.

1. In the Quon V. Ontario case, the police officers filed a lawsuit even thought they were not fired for the information that the police chief learned about their text messages. How, if at all, is someone harmed simply by another person reading private text messages?

Technology has had a great impact on the way the world communicates. Access to technology has become an integral part of education, socialization and industry related requirements, and accordingly Internet usage is evolving and growing rapidly. MySpace, Twitter, Skype, and Facebook are some of the online connections people use today to stay in contact with friends, coworkers, and family. Communicating in today’s society has become a lot easier with social networking sites allowing us to communicate with people with a simple click of the mouse. In this paper, I will address the strengths and limitations of social networking. I will look at the ways that social network can impact the social world of people and communities, especially those

Currently, there are a rich number of social networking sites available for user such as Myspace, HI5, Twitter,

With over 1.55 billion monthly active users(1), Facebook is the most popular social networking service(2). Hence, any decision taken by the company or any new feature could affect a fifth of the planet’s population. The importance of this social network and its influence was made clear during the Arab Spring, as it has been the main tool used by people to organise protests and demonstrations against the ruling regimes(3).