Would You Mind, Can I Have Your Facebook Password?
Would You Mind, Can I Have Your Facebook Password?
Nikki Gardner
Roberts Wesleyan College
Social media has connected the entire world to one another. It has become a cornerstone of communication in the 21st century with websites such as Google, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to name a few. Since this large boom in social media usage in the past 10 years, many issues have arose with it as well. One of these issues was addressed and discussed in the essay, “Why Asking for a Job Applicant’s Facebook Password is Fair Game” by Alfred Edmond Jr. Edmond’s main argument is that, from the perspective of the business owner, it is appropriate for the employer to ask a job applicant for their Facebook password before being hired. The reasons that he gives for this are in multitude (Edmond, 2012).
For example, the author states that anything posted on Facebook isn’t necessarily private to begin with, so the applicant should have nothing to hide. Everything on social media isn’t personal, so passwords shouldn’t be compared to giving up personal property. Another reasoning is that looking through someone’s Facebook account is equivalent to a background check, or even a credit score check. The information that these checks present, are equal to that of what a Facebook profile can say about someone’s character. The final major reason that Edmond brings up, is the fact that in occupations like child care, and education, this could be very preventive. There are many issues regarding teacher-student relationships, and inappropriate behaviors that could be caught easier with Facebook profile checks before being hired. After reading this essay, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Edmond’s argument. I agree that if an employer had access to look at an applicant’s profile, there could be much less issues with staffing in certain occupations. For me, I can speak personally for Edmond’s example of child care. I was a toddler teacher for a year before
Nikki Gardner
Roberts Wesleyan College
Social media has connected the entire world to one another. It has become a cornerstone of communication in the 21st century with websites such as Google, Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to name a few. Since this large boom in social media usage in the past 10 years, many issues have arose with it as well. One of these issues was addressed and discussed in the essay, “Why Asking for a Job Applicant’s Facebook Password is Fair Game” by Alfred Edmond Jr. Edmond’s main argument is that, from the perspective of the business owner, it is appropriate for the employer to ask a job applicant for their Facebook password before being hired. The reasons that he gives for this are in multitude (Edmond, 2012).
For example, the author states that anything posted on Facebook isn’t necessarily private to begin with, so the applicant should have nothing to hide. Everything on social media isn’t personal, so passwords shouldn’t be compared to giving up personal property. Another reasoning is that looking through someone’s Facebook account is equivalent to a background check, or even a credit score check. The information that these checks present, are equal to that of what a Facebook profile can say about someone’s character. The final major reason that Edmond brings up, is the fact that in occupations like child care, and education, this could be very preventive. There are many issues regarding teacher-student relationships, and inappropriate behaviors that could be caught easier with Facebook profile checks before being hired. After reading this essay, I have come to the conclusion that I agree with Edmond’s argument. I agree that if an employer had access to look at an applicant’s profile, there could be much less issues with staffing in certain occupations. For me, I can speak personally for Edmond’s example of child care. I was a toddler teacher for a year before