Survey Results Suggest that Facebook Users Claim to Feel More Secure on Facebook Than They May Actually Be
Of 357 U.S. undergraduate students, 92% of participants had a Facebook account and 64% logged onto Facebook seven days a week. Participants reported having an average of 480.26 Facebook friends and knowing 86% of these friends in real life. From concerns with privacy to offensive content, 20% of the undergraduates report experiencing negative effects from their Facebook use.In the study "(In)Visible Threats? The Third-Person Effect in Perceptions of the Influence of Facebook", researchers define the third-person effect to be when an individual feels less susceptible to media threats and exaggerates the extent to which they think it affects others. Researchers hypothesized that the participants would apply the third-person effect to the following areas:
- Personal relationships
- Future employment
- Privacy
13% More Employers Since 2013 are Researching Potential Employees on Social Media to Determine Their Job Eligibility
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12% of employers who do not
currently research candidates on
social media plan to do so in the future.
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According to the co-founder of FAMA Technologies, a person's reputation online is representative of who that person is offline. This presumably gives employers reason to check a candidate's Facebook profile before offering an interview. Job seekers who prefer to stay offline do not necessarily have an advantage in this situation because 35% of employers are "less likely to interview job candidates who [do not] have a digital footprint".
From posting inappropriate language to lying about one's qualifications, applicants often give employers information about themselves through their Facebook profile. The information an employer finds may be used for or against the job seeker; and, the consequences may affect not only the person's present ability to be hired but also their likelihood of being offered a job in the future. These negative effects may be overlooked by Facebook users who exemplify the third-person effect. A person who feels less susceptible to the negative effects that result from Facebook use may be less cautious about the information they provide on their Facebook account.
Employee's Right of Speech on Facebook is Still Protected Even When Profanity is Directed Towards Their Own Employer
Despite the negative effects that seem to be resulting from Facebook use, the social media platform is taking action to convince businesses that there are professional benefits to utilizing their site in the work force. However, employers seek to find the balance for social media use within their own professional environment.
With regard to the third-person effect, employees or employers who incorporate Facebook into their work place may feel that their own actions will do less harm than if someone else were to perform the same actions. However, as described in the examples above, there is reason to be cautious about how one treats their coworkers online, the content one posts onto Facebook, and even interactions as simple as commenting or liking another person's post.
The US Court of Appeals denied Triple Play their request to revoke the National Labor Relation' s Board's decision from 2011. Claiming that false information and threats to the company's reputation were at stake, Triple Play felt the employee's Facebook activity was "not protected by the National Labor Relation's Act".
Two employees suffered consequences in 2011 including termination and discharge from their respective positions. Due to one employee's use of vulgar language in a Facebook post towards the employer and the other employee's act of liking the post, Triple Play made the decision to remove the two employees from their positions in the company. The National Labor Relation's Board decided that the employer's punishments for these employees were unlawful and a violation of the National Labor Relation's Act.
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| Source: Gentleman's Gazette |
Experts Advise Employees to Pay Attention to Their Facebook Profiles in Order to Maximize Job Eligibility
CareerBuilder's vice president of human resources encourages job seekers to take note of privacy settings, posts they are tagged in, and information they post themselves onto their own or someone else's profile. The information posted on the Internet is always public despite one's perception of being within the private space of one's own profile and their network of Facebook friends.
Despite a person's perception that their profile is private, secure, or free of harmful information, the results from the studies and news above show that many people partake in the third-person effect in regard to their employment opportunities. One's perception that a post, comment, or even Facebook 'like' is inoffensive may be skewed, biased, or simply a result of ignorance towards the negative effects of Facebook use.
Your choice of topic is definitely interesting. I was always aware of the possibility of employers checking potential employees Facebook accounts, but I never realized the severity of it.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, your headline and subheadings are very clear. They are explanatory and they give me an exact idea of what it is I am going to read.
One of the things that stood out to me the most about your post was the organization. It was well written and fluid. You also used the stats from both the Harris Poll and the Huffington Post well enough to get your point across. These stats and sources show that you researched the topic well.
For example, you included the section about the Triple Play case. It was a good use of a real life example that gives the previous section meaning. You talked about the negative consequences of irresponsible Facebook use and followed it up with a story about two employees who lost their job because of it. Maybe a second real life example would have made it better, but it was great nonetheless.
The graphics you used were good for the most part but I would have added a picture near the first paragraph that relates to the Third Person Effect study. You pulled stats from the study but the image you used next to those stats could have been more relevant. Overall I thought you did a great job. Your post was very informative and there were only a few minor things that could have made it better.
The results of the Triple Play case opened a whole new can of worms with freedom of speech, social media and employers. It isn’t really clear how situations like that will be handled in the future.
To continue the discussion, I found an article about a police officer in Newark who was fired for his role in a series of Facebook posts that compared the city's mayor to a gorilla. Officials said the officer violated the department's social-media policy, which prohibits disparaging behavior. The situation is a bit different from Triple play case but I think it shows another aspect of the Third Person Effect. This article is interesting because it shows how government officials are held to a higher standard than regular civilian employees. They will usually have harsher consequences if they act irresponsibly online.