(no subject)
Brittany Deady Deady 1
Ms. Cimino
January 17, 2007
English 12 Period 1
Almost every high school student in America has one; employers check them as well as friends, even family and some college admission counselors. Updating them is a part of everyday life, always adding more to describe yourself for the world to see is a new past time for teens today. Myspace and Facebook have the power and freedom of expression for teens to convey themselves and describe their personality, but with this great power of expression there is also a downfall. Everything you write, post, blog and reveal is public for everyone to see and read. Teens should be monitoring what they post on the internet because it can effect the decisions of a college committee and potential employers.
Myspace, the internet phenomenon, is a social networking service that a majority of teens in the United Sates are obsessed with. This time consuming pastime offers users the ability to gain friends, create personal profiles, blog, post photos, share videos and listen to music. It was founded in 2003 by Tom Anderson and was then was run by a small team of programmers but now it has grown to a staff of over 300 (“Protecting Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007). This past august the 100 millionth account was created and about 230,000 accounts are created a day (“Protecting Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007). Myspace is currently the world's fourth most popular
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English-language website and the third most popular in the United States (“Protecting
Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007).
Facebook original started off as a place for college students, but recently
expanded to high school student around America and even India and Europe (Lenard, George). Facebook is different from myspace in a few ways, one being that it gives user the power to upload hundreds of pictures, and with more pictures comes more problems. It also can be set to private so that users who are not friends can’t see each others profiles. Little do many Facebook members know that employers and college admissions counselors have ways of getting around these blocks (Lenard, George).
For some schools, social networking sites are causing a lot of controversy; students are constantly running into trouble after posting pictures, writing blogs and recording videos. It is becoming more common for universities and colleges to use Facebook to investigate underage drinking around campus and investigating student for admission (Lenard, George).
Myspace has recently been in the news for a video which was posted of an eighth grader being assaulted. Three girls from long island were seen tackling her to the ground and striking her in the face repeatedly (“Three Girls Arrested in Beating Video Posted on the Internet.” January 16th 2007). This was recorded on a camera phone and uploaded on myspace, the victim did not tell any one about what happened, but the school found the video on the internet which led to the arrest of the three teens (“Three Girls Arrested in Beating Video Posted on the Internet.” January 16th 2007).
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Another case that involves a schools getting involved with one of these sites comes from Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana. Several students were stripped from leadership position as a punishment for the pictures that they posted on Facebook (Lenard, George). Theses students attended a dry campus and the pictures revealed them at a party on school grounds. The pictures were taken inside a dorm which was proof that they were breaking school policy (Lenard, George). One extreme incident that happened included a Facebook blog entry that led to an investigation with the United States Secret Service (Lenard, George). Apparently a freshman at The University of Oklahoma posted a joke about assassinating President Bush, this matter was taken very seriously and eventually the student was cleared of all suspicious acts (Lenard, George). These are all example of home student did not monitor what they posted on the internet, and they provide a certain theme; what you write is never private, and could be used against you, censor your actions that the pubic can view.
Employers used to rely solely on interviews and resumes but today the web is at our fingers tips, and information posted on the internet can hinder your chances at landing the job. CareerBuilder.com says that at least 1 in 10 hiring managers admit to checking social networking sites. CareerBuilder.com also says that “A full 63 percent of hirers who perused social network profiles decided against a candidate based on what they saw there.” This proves that they are watching us and that out opinions and free speech can be used against us.
Even thought many employers may be breaking state discrimination laws, they still believe that they have the right to do this. Employers especially should not be
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investigating social networking sites unless they have reasonably expectations to invade an individual’s privacy. Though they may be breaking the law users of these sites should monitor what they post, because anything can be used against you.
My first thoughts on this controversial topic was that employers have no right to be reading up on the possible future employees, because of free speech and your opinion should not play a role in the decision making process. But, I have come to realize that
they have every right to be investigating their applicants. They should want to know at least some information about the applicants because they are hiring. Myspace and Facebook reveal the true personalities of people and sometimes who you really are could not be what an employer or school is looking for. In other cases it may benefit the applicant, showing who they really are, and that could be something they are looking for. But, if inappropriate pictures and an honest blog show a negative personality which is not suitable for the job or school the applicant’s time consuming past time affects them in a negative way. The only thing that members of a social networking site need to do is to be careful, this somewhat enjoyable activity could either help or hinder you and it is a very simple process to make it work in your favor.
Ms. Cimino
January 17, 2007
English 12 Period 1
Almost every high school student in America has one; employers check them as well as friends, even family and some college admission counselors. Updating them is a part of everyday life, always adding more to describe yourself for the world to see is a new past time for teens today. Myspace and Facebook have the power and freedom of expression for teens to convey themselves and describe their personality, but with this great power of expression there is also a downfall. Everything you write, post, blog and reveal is public for everyone to see and read. Teens should be monitoring what they post on the internet because it can effect the decisions of a college committee and potential employers.
Myspace, the internet phenomenon, is a social networking service that a majority of teens in the United Sates are obsessed with. This time consuming pastime offers users the ability to gain friends, create personal profiles, blog, post photos, share videos and listen to music. It was founded in 2003 by Tom Anderson and was then was run by a small team of programmers but now it has grown to a staff of over 300 (“Protecting Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007). This past august the 100 millionth account was created and about 230,000 accounts are created a day (“Protecting Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007). Myspace is currently the world's fourth most popular
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English-language website and the third most popular in the United States (“Protecting
Teen Reputation on Web 2.0.” January 11th 2007).
Facebook original started off as a place for college students, but recently
expanded to high school student around America and even India and Europe (Lenard, George). Facebook is different from myspace in a few ways, one being that it gives user the power to upload hundreds of pictures, and with more pictures comes more problems. It also can be set to private so that users who are not friends can’t see each others profiles. Little do many Facebook members know that employers and college admissions counselors have ways of getting around these blocks (Lenard, George).
For some schools, social networking sites are causing a lot of controversy; students are constantly running into trouble after posting pictures, writing blogs and recording videos. It is becoming more common for universities and colleges to use Facebook to investigate underage drinking around campus and investigating student for admission (Lenard, George).
Myspace has recently been in the news for a video which was posted of an eighth grader being assaulted. Three girls from long island were seen tackling her to the ground and striking her in the face repeatedly (“Three Girls Arrested in Beating Video Posted on the Internet.” January 16th 2007). This was recorded on a camera phone and uploaded on myspace, the victim did not tell any one about what happened, but the school found the video on the internet which led to the arrest of the three teens (“Three Girls Arrested in Beating Video Posted on the Internet.” January 16th 2007).
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Another case that involves a schools getting involved with one of these sites comes from Saint Joseph’s College in Indiana. Several students were stripped from leadership position as a punishment for the pictures that they posted on Facebook (Lenard, George). Theses students attended a dry campus and the pictures revealed them at a party on school grounds. The pictures were taken inside a dorm which was proof that they were breaking school policy (Lenard, George). One extreme incident that happened included a Facebook blog entry that led to an investigation with the United States Secret Service (Lenard, George). Apparently a freshman at The University of Oklahoma posted a joke about assassinating President Bush, this matter was taken very seriously and eventually the student was cleared of all suspicious acts (Lenard, George). These are all example of home student did not monitor what they posted on the internet, and they provide a certain theme; what you write is never private, and could be used against you, censor your actions that the pubic can view.
Employers used to rely solely on interviews and resumes but today the web is at our fingers tips, and information posted on the internet can hinder your chances at landing the job. CareerBuilder.com says that at least 1 in 10 hiring managers admit to checking social networking sites. CareerBuilder.com also says that “A full 63 percent of hirers who perused social network profiles decided against a candidate based on what they saw there.” This proves that they are watching us and that out opinions and free speech can be used against us.
Even thought many employers may be breaking state discrimination laws, they still believe that they have the right to do this. Employers especially should not be
Deady 4
investigating social networking sites unless they have reasonably expectations to invade an individual’s privacy. Though they may be breaking the law users of these sites should monitor what they post, because anything can be used against you.
My first thoughts on this controversial topic was that employers have no right to be reading up on the possible future employees, because of free speech and your opinion should not play a role in the decision making process. But, I have come to realize that
they have every right to be investigating their applicants. They should want to know at least some information about the applicants because they are hiring. Myspace and Facebook reveal the true personalities of people and sometimes who you really are could not be what an employer or school is looking for. In other cases it may benefit the applicant, showing who they really are, and that could be something they are looking for. But, if inappropriate pictures and an honest blog show a negative personality which is not suitable for the job or school the applicant’s time consuming past time affects them in a negative way. The only thing that members of a social networking site need to do is to be careful, this somewhat enjoyable activity could either help or hinder you and it is a very simple process to make it work in your favor.