Invasion of Privacy

Social networks are designed so that individuals can freely express themselves and create customized profiles that they can check freely throughout their day. These profiles allow them to feel connected even throughout their day by including photos, comments, likes, dislikes, and update their statuses. It is important to express your individuality however, people must be aware that the information they post online is not private. It is hard to say whether or not I agree or disagree with Andrew’s proposal. I say this because I believe that even if this act was put into place I don’t necessarily believe that employers, schools, or other social institutions would follow this rule right of the bat. I am a strong believer of our personal rights and privacy because what we post online should not reflect who we are as a person to these institutions. When different individuals that are representing these institutions are viewing their students or future employers profiles some may be more judgmental than others which is unfair. 

I understand where employers are coming from when they want to view their possible future employer’s profiles because they will be representing their company. It is understandable that they want a reliable and serious employer however I believe that is what applications and interviews are conducted for. There are even articles out there that list social media mistakes that can cost you your job which I think it is absurd that hiring managers are making hiring decisions based on social network profiles. 

I think that it is a whole different story when it comes to schools viewing their students profiles because that is an invasion of their privacy because their are thousands of students in the school and they have a right to post what they want online without getting penalized. Unless their is a conflict that becomes the schools concern I don’t believe that their profiles should be viewed because this is their personal space and has nothing to do with them as a student during the school day. 

I am leaning more towards the side of not allowing institutions to access social network pages or taking adverse actions against an individual based on their posts on social network or their profile alone. When we are at school at work most of us put on our serious face and acts in ways that our socially acceptable. In society we are faced with many different situations and people and it is our responsibility to act right in those situations. If these institutions need to check profiles in order to judge  people then they should reevaluate themselves because that is not the right way. Someone should not be given a chance based solely on what they are posting online when that should be their right to post what they want but still know their our consequences.