Monday, December 20, 2010

Implications of the increasingly widespread use of social media
The affects of widespread social media in the U.S. and in the world in general are a large topic of debate in today’s everyday life. It’s hard to go even one day without hearing something on T.V. or reading an article online on how social media is affecting someone around the world. Many times these are positives, such as how the job market is benefiting from sites such as “LinkedIn”. Other times we hear the negatives of social media like job firings and internet predators. One thing is certain, social media is a massive and growing obsession around the world and I think we can say that it’s mostly for the best.
When we think of the ideal way to get a job, many of us see going around the mall or places of interest and asking for applications. This requires the prospective employee to look for jobs that he/she might be skilled in. With social media today, it’s not uncommon for employers to search for employees that they should hire. This is one way that an employer can find specifically who they want and chose from a larger selection than just those who submit an application. Another way the job market and economics in general are being affected by social media is through profiles such as a “Facebook” or a “Twitter” account. A well known example is how multiple professional athletes have been fined for “Tweeting” (most famously Chad Ochocinco) during their sporting event. The NFL even put in place a rule saying that it is not allowed.
Another hotly debated topic regarding social media in today’s world is privacy. There are many who are against social media in general based of the sole idea of privacy. Myspace and Facebook do have privacy policies but how far do those go? Many if asked will say that they “friend” many people that they do not know very well in person and in many cases have never spoken to. Privacy expert William Malcolm of Pinsent Masons law firm brought up an important concern about personal information when he said: “Who am I sharing this information with?” Many times your information is being shared with many more people than you think. Although there are breaches of privacy in social networking there are some positives. Finding a coworkers or classmates e-mail address for example over facebook could mean the success or failure of an important project. Also providing friends or acquaintances with a bio of yourself can tell them a little about you that they wouldn’t have known otherwise, but that another idea.
Overall we can all agree that social media has taken over the electronic and entertainment world of today. Whether it’s on T.V., in a movie on the radio or in a magazine you cannot go a day in today’s world without social media coming up. Some would argue that it is a breach of privacy and a negative on the economy and people’s lives. I believe that although this is somewhat true, social media is a good thing based off of some of the same points. Although there can be negative breaches of privacy once in a while, much more often your name will get out in a positive way via social media. And although it can get you fired by “Tweeting” something negative, the job market and economy is much better off with all of the advertising on these sites.

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