Eduardo Alvarez/ Assistant Opinion Director
No wonder people make multiple accounts on Facebook.
Every picture you’ve ever posted; every empty beer bottle may end up diverting your employer’s attention from your education, internships and work experience.
Unfortunately, private discretion has become indispensable for public success.
That’s bad for confidentiality, opportunity and freedom.
Can you imagine a crazy prom night from 2007 precluding you from your dream job? Or being fired because you privately complained to a friend about your boss’ cologne?
The internet is a bottomless pit from which nothing ever escapes. It gives new meaning to the phrase “ghosts of our past.”
The problem is that we are not our social media avatars. What we see on Facebook and Instagram are almost never accurate representations of our lives.
To be fair, neither are resumes, but at least resumes are tailored to employment purposes.
Ultimately the idea behind being cybernetically nosy is to ascertain moral character. But so far the fairest way to do that is the old-fashioned way: an honest conversation and the benefit of the doubt.
Yet as social media platforms branch out and become more sophisticated, the trend will doubtless go in the opposite direction.
New phenomena means new responsibilities for both employers and employees.
Workers, for example, shouldn’t be allowed to post confidential information about the company on social media. In such cases, traditional rules of conduct would be applied to new technologies; justifying an employer’s search on social media and collection of data.
One thing is clear: the use of trivial or otherwise irrelevant information, like a political post on Facebook, should have absolutely no effect on whether an employer gives you the job.
Social Media is, in my view, one of the greatest things ever to grace human communication. But in the workplace, it can lend itself to discrimination, intimidation, and all-around injustice.
Be vigilant.
DISCLAIMER:
The opinions presented within this page do not represent the views of PantherNOW Editorial Board. These views are separate from editorials and reflect individual perspectives of contributing writers and/or members of the University community.
Photo by Marc Schäfer on Unsplash