Can employers check your social media?

Social Media can be a fun place to post photos, funny quotes and help to keep in touch with friends and family.  It has become a great outlet in the past for me to vent my feelings, however as I have become older, I have also become aware that potential employers as well as my current employer may be looking at my Facebook profile.  I have cleaned up my social media and only post family photos and keep my “feelings” to myself.

according to Business News Daily, around 70% of employers now use social media as part of their screening process for job candidates. This is an increase from 2016 when about 60% of employers looked at social media.

Job applicants often apply to employers through social media sites like LinkedIn, and sometimes they are expected to have at least one social profile.

Should you be worried?  In my opinion, it might be best to do a bit of Profile Housekeeping and tidy up your social media.   Untag yourself from unflattering photos and delete questionable old posts.  Do not post risky photos or questionable “jokes”.  Be sure to pay attention to what you are posting and you may want to increase the privacy security settings on your social media platforms.

Most employers check these profiles for many reasons.  One reason might be to verify who you are and your credentials.  Another reason is to see what kind of person you are and an employer doesn’t want to see social media posts that are inappropriate and go against company morals or values.

In closing, it might be a good idea to take a look around your social media platforms and as mentioned earlier, do a little social media tidy-up.

Image from iStock

References:

‘Digital dirt’ may nix that job you were counting on getting

The top three things that employers want to see in your social media profiles

Are influencers Taking Advantage?

Image by Lorenzo Gutierrez, Digital Marketing Consultant

It seems that “The Influencer” has flooded Social Media and has become a full time job to some. Big money can apparently be made with the many followers that one has.  The influencer is even sometimes paid by companies to review their products.  Celebrities are used to review products such as Subscription Boxes.  Fab Fit Fun Boxes are seen flooding Facebook and Instagram.  Many celebrities are reviewing these subscription boxes and not one has made any bad reviews or negative comments on any of the products within the boxes.  Most of us know that these celebrities are paid big bucks and given these products for free.  There may be the few out there that actually believe them and of course, that’s where the company prospers.

Image from YouTube.com

Influencers are not just celebrities though.  There are many people who have gained followers on Instagram solely on their looks and influence people on products such as skincare, dieting products and fashion.  Many influencers today have started banking on their looks and have become clever in their marketing.  Clever as in trying to take advantage of businesses, in my opinion.  Some people have been known to go to a hotel, bed and breakfast or service and ask for free services in exchange for good reviews on their Instagram account.  You can see such stories as these posted online.

According to an article written on the website, The Atlantic:

Kate Jones, marketing and communications manager at the Dusit Thani, a five-star resort in the Maldives, said that her hotel receives at least six requests from self-described influencers per day, typically through Instagram direct message.

“Everyone with a Facebook these days is an influencer,” she said. “People say, I want to come to the Maldives for 10 days and will do two posts on Instagram to like 2,000 followers. It’s people with 600 Facebook friends saying, ‘Hi, I’m an influencer, I want to stay in your hotel for 7 days,’” she said. Others send vague one-line emails, like “I want to collaborate with you,”with no further explanation. “These people are expecting five to seven nights on average, all inclusive. Maldives is not a cheap destination.” She said that only about 10 percent of the requests she receives are worth investigating.

 

References:

Instagram’s Wannabe-Stars are driving luxury hotels crazy by The Atantic.

Image by The Atlantic

COM0011 – Blog #2 – Social Media and Mental Health

from Google Images

 

It has come to no surprise that Social Media has been linked to some mental health issues among teens and adults. Some studies show that research points to a rise in symptoms of anxiety, depression, and eating disorders.  Many people have become addicted to social media platforms.  People are constantly updating profile photos, statuses and scrolling other users profiles.  It can become their entire reason for waking up in the morning and ignoring the real world around them.  It is especially true for those individuals who are introverted and shy.  It’s much easier to communicate online with someone that they don’t actually have to see in reality.  You can maintain the image of the person you wish to be instead of who you actually are.  If a conversation goes bad, you can always just block the other person and everything is “fixed”, whereas if in the real world, you come across trouble, you would have to deal with the issue and not just “block” it out.

Making comparisons, focusing on “likes” and cyber-bullying can cause serious depression and anxiety.  Not to mention the number of fake friends a person feels the need to collect to feel some sort of worth.

A great place to help seek help with Social Media Addiction and Mental Health Services is The Canadian Mental Health Association.  The website is https://ontario.cmha.ca

Reference: www.statista.com

According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, some of the most common symptoms of social media anxiety disorder are:

• Being with a group of friends and interrupting the conversation to tell them that someone has commented on their/your social media post 
• Removing yourself from a social situation with family or friends to check what has been happening on social media 
• Constantly checking your social media account for comments on your posts 
• Randomly adding strangers to your social media accounts
• Spending 8 or more hours a day on a social media 
• Feeling a sense of attachment to your phone or computer, as if nothing else matters
• Increased anxiety when comments are not made and pictures are not posted/tagged 
• Checking your number of followers and constantly finding opportunities to increase followers

Becoming aware of how you are feeling and the emotions you experience when using social media, and by limiting your time on it, may help in dealing with some of these issues.

COM0011 – Blog #1 – The Dangers of Social Media

There are so many dangers when using Social Media that many people may not even be aware of.  Cyber-bullying, identity theft, public shaming and more.  People have become addicted to Social Media and this has led to over-sharing and not thinking about the consequences of their actions.  Children and young adults are lured by predators and the elderly are robbed of their life savings.

When it comes to your child using social media, the parent can set up the account for the child. Parents can set the privacy settings.  Who can see their photos and posts, who can contact them. the parent can monitor who there child is friends with and they can make sure everything is being monitored. Parents should make sure they know the risks and the benefits of social media before they allow there child to use it.

“The Internet, particularly social media, is another outlet for possible downfall. When it comes to technology and teens normally the dangerous things that come to mind are sexting, online predators, and cyberbullying. All are incredibly damaging, more common than people think, and should be talked about”. – from www.allprodad.com

A great article taken from care.com is worth reading.  5 Dangers of Social Media to Discuss with Yours Kids

 

From YouTube.  Dangers of Secret Social Media | Murder of Nicole Lovell

From WCU Dangers of Social Media (Facebook)

To promote and raise awareness to the dangers of social media. The images and posts below are being used to help students understand the potential hazards.