social media darwinism

Ah, to have common sense! I recently came across an article on Mashable that stated, in 2009 8% of US companies had fired employees over their use of social media. In 2008, that number was 4%. I can only imagine what those numbers are now. I thought the following example was particularily hilarious:



In the age of online identity, social media users need to be more enlightened about what they reveal on the web, especially younger generations who tend to post without consequence. I recently went to a few job interviews where I was asked about my familiarity and use of social media. Sure, it's a trend in the PR industry, but common sense dictates that my engagement should be censored. Everyone has moments where they want to vent, but venting should be kept out of cyber space. The internet is not your best friend; at least I would hope it's not! A recent tweet got one would-be Cisco employee called out by a "channel partner advocate" for Cisco Alert after he posted about "hating the work". Perhaps that tweeter wasn't aware that Cisco is involved in communications technology?


What is more embarrassing than having a picture of you dressed as a fairy emailed to all your co-workers? Well, getting fired for it definitely is. Kevin Colvin was an intern at Anglo Irish Bank's North American branch. He emailed his boss about a "family emergency" that would keep him from the office on October 31st. According to Facebook photos, the "emergency" was a rockin' Halloween party, and Colvin was a pixie. His boss emailed his response to Colvin and the entire company, and included a picture.

What's better is that it's not only possible to be fired BECAUSE of Facebook, it's now possible to get fired ON Facebook. 16-year-old Chelsea Taylor worked part-time at a cafe in Manchester called Cookies. One Saturday, she was given 10 pounds to pick up some cookies, but lost the money. Taylor was shocked when she logged on to Facebook to find a message from her manager: 'I had to tell the owner bout u losin that tenner coz obviously the till was down at the end of day. she wasn't very pleased at all and despite me trying to persuade her otherwise she said I have to let u go. I'm really sorry'. That's cold, and definitely not good press for Cookies.

Obviously the lesson here is to be smart about what you're posting to the net. You're really never sure who has access to it, even with privacy settings in place. The Golden Rule: Don't post anything you wouldn't want you're parents or boss to see, because they're probably looking.