What is the price of being connected?

Personal Information in the Age of Technology

Society refuses to stop changing. In this age of technology, we find ourselves constantly connected to our favorite social media site or service. Some may consider their actions and the information they post online as harmless. Yet, users must also consider that the information shared online may be personal. That is to say, it reveals something about an individual that they would not want to become public and should be released sparingly. So despite the fact that many social media sites have changed the way they operate, by allowing the user to adjust the privacy of their profile, individuals still have potentially damaging information accessible through blogs, forum posts and professional networks.

How Employers use the Internet

Perhaps a most recent example of this information risk is the tactic being taken by prospective employers to see what individuals are doing, saying and sharing online. Users must constantly ask themselves if what they are putting out there may eventually harm their personal integrity in the future. Thus, whether they are a potential employee now or plan to be at some point in the future, it must be determined if what they are sharing online is truly appropriate.

As mentioned, over the recent years employers have been turning to the internet as an additional means of "qualifying" a potential employee. While some may believe that this is unfair or illegal, the fact is that “laws don’t anticipate the changes in technology” (Martinez, 2012). Yet, some may be confident that general employment laws pertaining to nondiscrimination are still in effect, which is a valid argument because indeed they are. However, if there is public information found that leads the employer to pass up a candidate, there is nothing preventing them from giving a vague explanation for their choice in choossing a different candidate. The underlying reason, that they uncovered something online, will never be divulged.

The risk of users’ perceived personal information being publically accessible does not stop at potential employers. Instead, users must also consider their current employers because what is done online can get you fired too. One such incident happened just last month when Lindsey Stone was fired from her job for posting a personal photo on Facebook. The image in question shows Stone screaming and extending her middle finger in front of a sign reading “Silence and Respect” at Arlington Cemetery. It should be noted that Stone posted this information privately and forewarned everyone it was a joke well before the outrage. However, this did not stop her employer from firing her after nearly 3,000 people signed a petition to have her fired (Eördögh , 2012).

The Lesson

The fact is we continue to provide an overwhelming amount of data about ourselves on the internet, despite all the warning signs. Moreover, we are ignorant to the risks we place on ourselves by associating with certain individuals or sympathizing with a particular cause. The fact is there is nothing preventing any potential employer from being curious and doing a quick Google search for an individual. So, the lesson is that until laws and technology that promotes accountability can catch up to social media, we as individuals need to continually conduct ourselves in an ethical and professional manner online.  Consequently, before users decide to share something online about themselves they should ask:

• Who might have access to this?
• Could this information lead to discrimination?

The lesson here is that users of the internet and social media should assume privacy is virtually nonexistent because regardless of what companies promise, there is no guarantee that individuals, including employers, will not get access to their personal information.

References

Eördögh , F. (2012, November 26th). Social-Media Shaming About A Dumb Photo Gets Dangerous. Retrieved December 5, 2012, from Read Write Social: http://readwrite.com/2012/11/26/social-media-shaming-and-a-dumb-photo

Martinez, S. (2012, October 31). Live Chat on Thursday: Why Googling a job applicant can get a company into legal hot water. Retrieved November 24, 2012, from Michigan Local News: http://www.mlive.com/business/west-michigan/index.ssf/2012/10/why_googling_a_job_applicant_c.html

 

David A.

Regis University – COM215