Monitoring Social Media Bias

The regulations on social media policies limit the employer’s ability to place restrictions on the staff

In our digital age, people are increasingly using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace to share personal experiences, relati onships, opinions, and accomplishments with family and "friends." They view their Web sites as private and their right to voice their opinions or post pictures of themselves as protected free speech. Should employers have the right to terminate employees based on personal information that the employee has posted online? In most cases, the answer to this question is "no."

There are, of course, grey areas within this debate.  It is appropriate that any social media post that identifies the individual’s employer is of justified interest to that employer.  However, where an individual discusses work situations without identifying the employer it is perhaps harder to justify this intrusion.  The obvious line here is that companies should, by and large, restrict themselves to monitoring mentions of their brand or senior executives and should stay away from monitoring individual staff names on their own unless otherwise justified.

In 1990, Tim Berners Lee invented the World Wide Web, since then a huge uprising in technology and social media has allowed us and others to invade the privacy of one another. Due to this massive growth, social media became widespread in today’s society, allowing easy access to people’s private information. Sadly, this information may be the reason someone is looked over after a job interview, because employers go through social media to evaluate a potential employee’s behavior. Is it a good thing for an employer to invade the privacy of a current or future employee, as a tool to evaluate ones character?

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.

The purpose of this literary review is to enlighten my viewers of the importance of the ethical idea of companies crossing the lines of business with your personal life, when involving social media accounts. Most of my research has operated from the ATU library using the find it tool. Furthermost, the researched information use was from peer-reviewed research journal. I will discuss includes social media cons in the work environment, if it is ethical to get fired over a post, and laws that protect both parties. Social media includes an assortment of electronic communications—most commonly networking sites such as Facebook, LinkedIn, Myspace, Pinterest, Instagram, and the likes thereof. Social media also covers all forms of blogs, including Twitter (a micro-blog), wikis, online journals, diaries, personal newsletters, and World of Warfare and YouTube also are included under the umbrella term of social media (Lieber 2011).

Although the Privacy Act and PIPEDA exist to regulate what personal information is collected in order to protect the employee, these legal means are not enough. The common thread between the two is that the information collected should be collected and used for the stated purposes. The Privacy Act applies to federal institutions, whereas PIPEDA applies to the private-sector, yet neither specifically state social media. As mentioned in this article, the person’s privacy rights should not end simply because the technological advancements are not incorporated into our legislation. However, privacy laws should be able to incorporate social media as it is one of society’s most common method of communication. As society changes, our laws should accommodate. I believe the current criteria are not specific enough, if just cause can be proven and if there is no discrimination, that is seen to be enough for termination. I think that the better option would be the proposal set in this article.

The way in which information is presented to us is what leads to the comprehension and the understanding of a topic, but it can also affect the things we view as facts. Our main source of information comes from the media and it is what helps us gain a sense of the world we live in and the happenings around it, but sometimes it clouds our perception giving us a false sense of reality when it comes to news.

Although there are many legitimate points to support the employers’ stance among this debate, it doesn’t take away the fact that we all have the right to voice our opinions and express ourselves freely. As with religion, sexual preferences or views on political parties, our personal lives on social media sites should never be a determining factor when being hired for a job and employers are not supposed to refuse to hire someone based on discriminatory purposes. The way in which people decide to live their lives doesn’t change how much of a

Employers on our social media, this is a fact that everyone in this age accepts but do not necessarily like or want. Some people say it is okay to check social media when looking for who to hire, but this infringes on privacy rights. If an employer finds something discriminating on a profile and decides not to hire the person this is not okay, even though some may say it is because you want to know what you are getting into. An employer could find information that was not even true on social media, this would not work in favor of employment. It is not okay to check social media when employers are hiring because it invades privacy, discriminates and the information provided on the site could be false.

A growing hot topic, and cause for concern is the increasing use of social media in the workplace. The landscape for communication has changed, and the line between personal and professional communications has been blurred. How will your employer manage the risks associated with the use of social media and at the same time, gain the benefits that this media form provides? While many employers were initially concerned that employees would use company time and equipment for socializing with friends, they are quickly learning that many social networks can also be used directly for work purposes.

With employers having access to a wide range of networking sites, it is more efficient for them to look up additional information about the candidate while saving cost and time. One research showed that a candidate was able to secure a job because their social media profile showed them as creative, well-rounded, and a good fit for the company (Budden, Elkersh, Vicknair, & Yancey, 2010). Companies use this data in order to inspect whether a candidate maybe outgoing. For example, someone who does not have any social networking profile is thought to be likely hiding something or is introverted or is not well-versed with technology (which is a requirement for most professional jobs). Companies can weed out candidates using this information and possibly find applicants that are likely to fit in with their corporate culture.

Social networking sites such as Twitter or Facebook have created a new ethical dilemma for many businesses. Corporations, small businesses, and even universities are struggling create policies to manage their employees social networking behaviors. Social networking access, particularly for recruiters, can provide personal information about potential employees, which would otherwise not be available. A business must follow statutes and guidelines when disclosing information to the public. Individuals on social networking sites have no such constraints. Employees can and do make comments about their employers online. Employers can and do watch what employees post online. Any individual can send or post potentially damaging information

Even though the practice of using social media to vet candidates is relatively new, there are standards already established for this process. Employers who are hesitant to use social media typically cite fear of allegations of discriminatory hiring practices. To protect themselves against legal ramifications of unfair hiring processes, employers should always consult with an employment attorney to develop policies for gathering and use of internet-based information (“The Facebook Background Check.”) An employment attorney can help

Almost everyone in developed countries, during this day and age, has social media accounts. There are many platforms of social media including but not limited to: facebook, twitter, instagram, snapchat, myspace, linkedin, etc… And there are many reasons for using these social media platforms such as: keeping contact with old friends and distant relatives, meeting new people and sharing life experiences with people around the globe, or stalking that cute girl at work but never making contact. Among these reasons, and many more is the controversial topic of whether job employers should be able to use of social media to look up applicants. I believe job employers have a right to look up potential employees because doing so would allow them to