MySpace: A free background check?
In this age of technology, forms of online expression such as MySpace and Facebook have become increasingly popular amidst our generation. With these new forms of expression, new issues about privacy are being raised; particularly issues over employment. The question is, should employers be able to hire or fire based, at least in part, on the information posted on an employee or potential employee’s profile? Well, let’s examine the issue, shall we?
A person’s profile is a place for self-expression in the virtual world. It’s a place to project a tiny piece of personality using any type of media you’d prefer. Photos, videos, graphics, songs, quotes, and Favorites lists are all there to say, “This right here is me. This is what I like and what I do. This is who I am, and I want you all to see it!” It’s an environment that puts you in complete control of how others view you. You can be anyone you want to be, just like mommy always told you.
That being said, I think that sites such as MySpace and the like are great tools for employers to use in their hire/fire process, and I’ll tell you why: it’s easy, it’s legal, and it’s FREE. It’s a way to see if this person they’re potentially employing is really a good person or if they’re just really good at faking. It’s along the same lines as watching how your date treats the waiter. If they’re rude to your server, chances are, they’ll be rude to you sometime, too.
I have no sympathy for anyone if they haven’t gotten a job or were fired based on the information in their profile. As I said before, everyone is free to choose every little piece of information on his or her site, right down to the font. If you’re not smart enough to keep the things you want private to yourself, then chances are you aren’t bright enough to deserve the job in the first place. If you’re ashamed of the image you’re projecting, then change it. Our generation really needs to kill that need to advertise ourselves like pieces of meat on the Real World. Instead, maybe we could make common practice a little thing called ‘integrity’ and just be true to self. Then, we won’t have to worry about our boss finding that drunken topless picture our roommate took last weekend or the endless blog of co-worker bashing. All they’ll find is the crystalline portrayal of our true selves, the one that’s honest and open and available to all.
Columnists' opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of The Spectrum