As an increasing number of us have personal information available about ourselves online, particularly due to self-published entries on blogs, review sites, and social networking sites such as Flickr, Facebook, and LinkedIn, we must become more aware of how this information may be used by members of both virtual and place-based communities. I have come across a number of articles in magazines and websites meant to warn users, particularly students, but also now professors of the possible consequences to their professional life by making their identity available online. The use and misuse of virtual personal information by institutions across place-based social contexts brings forth questions of identity, authenticity and privacy within online communication and computer-mediated social interaction. What are the parameters of accountability? How can an employer be sure that what they’ve discovered about a candidate is accurate? What are the ethical considerations for both the author and the viewer? Can an employer be held accountable for accessing information about an applicant which is clearly off-limits; such as age, religion, and nationality?
Online communities and virtual groups exist at least partially due to the similar interests and goals of their members. It becomes evident that online communities are maintained and developed because members have accepted a certain level of good faith and trust in each other even if this trust extends only at least far enough to allow for a member’s contribution and commitment to the group. Informal learning as discussed in the article by Schugurensky describes a type of learning that occurs “outside the curricula provided by formal and non-formal educational institutions and programs”. By this definition, online communication enabled through virtual groups and communities proves to be a constant source of informal learning about a variety of topics and capable of reaching countless users.
It has always held true that one must be aware of how he/she may be perceived for the type of communication one chooses to engage in, and who they engage with. It is also true that issues of privacy and accountability have existed long before the Internet, however, the question of privacy and identity is largely magnified via the Internet “paper trail”. Informal learning occurring online may start to take on a different form than informal learning occurring in the context of everyday interactions within schools, offices, homes, and public spaces as more of us become aware of the risks involved in sharing our views and identities online. That is not to say informal learning can’t and won’t continue to occur online. The Internet may, however, become increasingly suitable for incidental learning and socialization and become more limiting to the process of intentional, self-directed learning.
Participatory media may become increasingly used to empower marginalized communities within the realm of Community Informatics as discussed in the article by Stoecker. In this video, http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/howard_rheingold_on_collaboration.html Howard Rheingold discusses how Internet technologies can be used to enable cooperation in communities. He outlines how such technologies can enable the following six cooperation principles which are needed for successful social organization and cooperation: easy to use, enable connections, open, group forming, self-instructing, and self-interest. Since it becomes evident that cooperation can improve the lives of people and their community it is important to also inform members of participating communities of the risk inherent in online communications. I believe it is important to work with individuals and communities engaging in participatory media to develop strategies which allow them to safely navigate these risks so they may more effectively engage in informal learning, stimulate cooperation, and participate in transformation and social action towards a better community.
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The vast expansion of social and professional networking sites present a tempting source of information for employers. As we have learned, hiring managers are currently doing online background checks of prospective candidates, often before contacting these individuals for an initial interview. Employers who choose to use these sites, like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter, need to ensure that the information obtained is accurate in order to remain compliant with the law.
ReplyDeleteIt is prudent that an employer do a background and reference check on any potential candidate, and thus traditional background and reference checks should still be used. If not, employers could be held accountable for using the online information due to numerous legal and ethical challenges posed by primarily screening candidates online. The information found online may not be accurate, or even relevant to the job, and it may unintentionally promote discrimination.
In my management class, a case study was presented regarding this topic. To summarize, a Canadian company was looking for a candidate to open a flagship store in Shanghai. The best candidate, Mimi, was a top student at Berkley and Stanford, spoke the local dialect, had five years of relevant experience, impressive recommendations and made an excellent impression in her interview. Upon a Google search, however; a revelation was found. Fresh out of Berkley, Mimi had led a nonviolent but vocal protest group that helped mobilize campaigns against the world trade organization. The demonstration was held outside of the Chinese consulate. The CEO worried that if he hired Mimi, his plans in China would be derailed due to the information found online.
Do you think the CEO should hire Mimi for her talent or disallow her to join the company because of the information found online?
I found this case study very interesting and at the end of the article, four successful individuals gave their take on the situation.
If you’d like to read the article its bibliographical reference is as follows:
Coutu, Diane. “We Googled You” in Harvard Business Review, pp. 37-47. June 2007 President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Mary, I am interested in your comments specific to the (potential) mis use of personal information that may be available online. I believe the risks are very real and warrant consideration by all active contributors. Given the pervasive nature of the Internet on our daily lives it would seem very difficult to manage our "online" identity effectively. Of even a greater concern, if aspects of our personality or history become publically viewable there seems to be little or no easy recourse. There is another aspect of this matter that is a concern as well. It is not just a matter of what is available but also how long it will be available. It would seem to me that the potential exists for many of us that an online comment or suggestion (deserved or undeserved) made specific to a perceived inappropriate attitude or behaviour could follow and individual and/or family members infinitely. This is troubling thought.
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