In class a few days ago we had a discussion about cybervetting. Cybervetting is when potential employers and school admissions use information from someone’s social media profile in evaluating them for hire or acceptance. Author of I Know Who You Are and I Saw What You Did: Social Networks and the Death of Privacy, Lori Andrews thinks that we need to adopt a Social Network Constitution to protect our rights online. I can both agree and disagree with her proposal. I understand that by posting something to a social media site, you are putting the information/pictures out there for people to see, but I think we should have a right to post what we want our friends to see without the worry of being watched. I believe that the user of the SNS needs to be responsible about what they are posting online, and there shouldn’t be a problem. I definitely think that there needs to be some type of regulation on what the schools and businesses can use against you. For example, if you post a picture of yourself in possession of an illegal drug, obviously it can be used against you. If you post a picture of yourself (a person over the age of 21) holding a beer, the employer/school should not be able to use it against you because you're not breaking the law.
The reality is, a potential employer is not bound by any code of ethics to accept or reject you. They also don't have to divulge how they came to that decision. I've been told many times not to tell my age in an interview. If you're too old or too young they can hold it against you. They may just not like the cut of your jib. What you do online doesn't have to be illegal. They can reject you for whatever they see. "He doesn't have any friends" or "he's got too many friends"
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