What is this blog about?

The sole purpose of this blog is to raise awareness on privacy issues connected with utilizing social networking sites and its impact on employment opportunities. Through the surveys,interviews,statistics and articles that will be posted on this blog, we will show you that such a problem is prevalent and real and also attempt to offer solution/solutions.

Social networking is all the rage amongst the youths and young adults. Amidst all the ‘poking’, casual/funny comments posted, and uploading of thousands and thousands of photos on these sites, does this group of people really wish to share such information with the internet community? If such information (if objectionable) were retrieved by their potential employers or recruiters, would their employment opportunities be compromised?

Targeted Audience

Youths (tertiary students especially, e.g. NUS undergraduates), and young working adults.

Background Information

Current Situation:

• The use of social media will continue to grow, this only means that privacy issues will be more widespread and apparent
• Current technology allows for extraction of anonymous data from social networking sites using computer algorithms, and reconstruct their real names and email addresses
  ==> Salesforce.com for example, can grab Twitter’s post and constantly monitors them
• These data can be used by third-party advertising companies and exploited
• Shift in the way recruiters work, he/she can perform background checks the moment a candidate’s email address is obtained
• 4 in 10 HR managers have chosen not to hire a candidate as a result of negative online content found in social networking sites