Response to Social Media Bill of Rights

Reading Lori Andrews' argument in favor of a "social media bill of rights" is a very interesting, thought provoking read.  The thought that employees would not be able to access any social networking page that you may have is something that's never really crossed my mind before.  I've always just assumed employer checks of social media pages was the status quo and something everyone should take into consideration when looking for a job.

I think it's interesting that this is being considered in other countries, specifically Germany.  I think that if this passes in Germany other countries will start to follow suit.  In this case I believe it would be inevitable that the United States would pass a similar law.  As always, there would be a huge public conversation in the media, people would speak out both for and against it.  It would give the news networks material to work with for a while.

While I don't think employers getting access to a potential employee's social media page is a horrible thing, Andrews' proposal is extremely thought provoking.  If an employer wasn't able to see your online profile and just judged you based on your application and interview, you may be more or less likely to get the job than if the employer was able to see the profile.  Andrews' argument that it's unfair for a job to deny you based on what they see in your social media is something I've never really considered.

With that being said, I'm still in favor of employers being able to look at a potential employee's social media.  With the security features that Facebook and Twitter have in terms of who gets to see your profile you should be able to make your profile "passable".  Also, if you're looking for a job you should definitely be responsible enough to limit the amount of incriminating pictures and posts on your social media.  This, to me, is the same as staying away from marijuana if you're looking for a job.  You should be just as aware of the fact that you'll be drug tested as the fact that your social media pages will be looked at.