A technology that I have decided to discuss is social networking, specifically Facebook. According to lecture it was founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg, with help from Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz, and Chris Hughes. In class social networking systems were defined so that they must allow users to construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. According to our book the way Facebook works is it started out just for Harvard students to stay in contact with each other, then expanding to Yale University, Columbia University and Stanford University. By 2005 it was available to anyone who had a valid email account ending in edu. By 2006 Facebook was offerin its Web site to anyone over the age of thirteen who ha da valid email address. At the time Facebook was unique do to the face that it was the first social networking system to offer the new feed on a user’s home page. Facebook changed the way people were using websites for social networking. Facebook used a live feed for changes in relationships, jobs, and status updates. Facebook also made microblogging popular, which limited statuses to 420 characters. According to our book there are many problems that have been associated with social networking sites. Some include an issue with unintended privacy and cyber-bullying. Another issue is employment, employers are facing an issue with employees using company time to update and maintain their social networking systems. Many employers are also using social networking sites to vet their employees. According to an article found on PsycINFO, employers are using social networking sites as a source of background information on job applicants. Employers report making decisions not to hire people based on the information posted on social networking sites. The article states that few employers have policies I place to govern when and how these online character checks should be used and how to ensure that the information viewed is accurate. The article then proceeds to talk about how this can be harmful to society. It then provides guidance to employers on when and how to use these sites in a socially responsible manner. It is clear that the internet has drastically changed how people interact, communicate, conduct business, seek jobs, find partners and even shop.
Clark, L.A., & Roberts, S.J. (2010). Employers use of social a networking sites: a socially irresponsible practice. Journal of Business Ethics, 95(4), 507-525.
