Future Challenges With Social Media Sites

 

Researchers are in the process of evaluating social networking sites, so they can discover the pros and cons to the sites. Social Media sites allow people to be open and honest about their feelings. It gives the user the opportunity to freely express themselves, but it doesn’t allow the person time to reflect on their thoughts and feelings. Once the user clicks on the send or post button the message is out there, and having that information deleted is almost impossible.

Another problem with social media sites is that they make it easy for some users to create fake profiles. These technological advances are changing at such a fast rate that it makes it difficult for the laws to keep up with the social media sites, and researchers need more time to investigate the social media sites. Employers are at a disadvantage, because they are being bombarded with ethical dilemmas that they need guidance and policies on, but the technology keeps changing. This is leaving employers wondering - what are the best practices when it comes to social media sites?

 

Future Challenges with Social Media Sites

           Online social networking, like Facebook and twitter, are being used by more and more companies as a business tool. Some companies have adopted policies regarding the use of the social media sites during work hours while other companies have not and this is a problem.  According to Robert Sprague in Invasion of the Social Networks: Blurring the Line Between Personal Life and the Employment Relationship, “When objectionable, particularly potentially harassing, content is posted online, prompt, remedial action by the employer is imperative to reduce, if not eliminate, potential liability” (p.34).

           Employer’s actions when enforcing the companies’ policies needs to be consistent when dealing with employees. If an employer, or manager, does not consistently enforce the policies, then it can open the organization up for an illegal discrimination lawsuit. Some companies might allow social media sites to be checked or used during work hours, if the work is getting done. In order to prevent legal issues from arising, it would be best to have a written policy that applies to all employees.

          Susan Manning explains that “working conditions, roles, and responsibilities bring forward ethical issues in businesses,” and she is right (p.40). Our ethical guidelines cannot address every issue that comes up, but they are not meant to address every issue. It is our responsibility to understand the big issues, and what is the best course of action to take.

Statement 3 of the Ethical Standards for Human Service Professionals states, “Human Service Professionals protect the client’s right to privacy…” but how will they protect themselves or their clients from the internet (2012, p.2)?  From Social Media Sites? Google has come up with a program that will provide a 360 degree view of a street address. Lauren Rakower feels that, “Google Street View technology presents particularly complicated questions, for it not only implicates the privacy rights and protections afforded domestically, but triggers the attention of the entire international community” (p.320). An individual was caught going into an adult video store, and his image was used without his consent, but the laws are not up-to-date, and he had no recourse.

Social media sites provide cover so that users can engage in cyber stalking and identity theft; of course, the social media sites will have a policy that states an individual must not provide false information or in facebooks case that the user must be “13” to have an account, but many people don’t know the policies, and some people don’t care about the policy. This is evident when users make a bogus profile by creating an anonymous profile. Then the profile can be used for cyber stalking, identity theft, or to allow a sexual predator to get close to a child.

It is crucial that people remember to use social media sites with caution when they are posting information or accepting a friend’s request. Is it okay for employees to have clients as their friends? Is this ethical? Do employees have the right to use technology to check-up on our clients? Where will organizations draw the line between public and private information?

Many people enjoy using social media sites, and more people are getting acquainted with the sites, so that the sites are “ingrained” into not only their personal but their work lives as well. More research needs to be done on the pros and cons of social media sites; however, since social media sites are not going away the research needs to focus on best practices when using social media sites, and ethical responsibilities of professionals. The laws need to be update, so that users are protected when they are online. Access to personal information needs to be restricted and protected. For example, in England, there is a button that users can click on if they are online and they are being harassed. 

            Management strategies need to include policies and training on the use of social media sites. Businesses will benefit from their corporation being on the social media sites, but the employees will need some form of coaching or management that will focus on the ethical obligations and responsibilities of being on the social media sites. Technology is designed to ensure that people are getting what they want out of life and work. Technology will continue to change at a fast pace, and organization’s need to adapt to the changes in technology if they are going to keep productivity and performance up and liability down

            There is a lot of information that can be found on social media sites, but there is not a lot of information on the ethical implications of social media sites. I feel that there is not enough guidance on what a user should or should not do, and there is definitely a gap between the law and employers responsibilities when it comes to social media sites. It seems to me that some business are taking a wait and see approach, it is as though they want other business to adopt policies and be challenged in court before they want to do anything. There are some companies that are proactive, but they are in the minority.

            I think it is admirable that some employers are allowing the employees the discretion to choose what they will or will not do on social media sites; however, I think that most people need some form of structure or guidance to help them navigate through the internet.

 

Reference

Pedersen, M. (2011). 'A career is nothing without a personal life': On the social machine in the call for authentic employees. Ephemera: Theory & Politics In Organization, 11(1), 63-77.

Sprague, R. (2011). Invasion of the Social Networks: Blurring the Line Between Personal Life and the Employment Relationship. University Of Louisville Law Review, 50(1), 1-34.