INTRODUCTION
Social media can be seen as set
of technologies that make it easier to have an interactive and productive
communication. These technologies are used throughout the world to share ideas
and information, and personal photos and videos. This discussion’s aim,
however, is to show why companies should hold their employees responsible for
individual activities on social media. It is known that image plays a big role
when building a company or business, which is why employees should be held
responsible for what they upload on their web page in order to protect the
image of the company. More of this will be explained in details, in the next
paragraphs.
WHAT IS SOCIAL MEDIA?
According to Bradley (2010)
Social media is a set of technologies and channels targeted at forming and enabling
a potentially massive community of participants to productivity collaborate.
Social media technologies, such as social networking, wikis and blogs, enable
collaboration on a much grander scale and support tapping the power of
collective in ways previously unachievable.
These set of technologies and
channel allow people to create their own personal web pages and then connect
with their families, friends and colleagues and share their beliefs, values,
ideas and photos.
What people upload on the web pages
say a lot about who they are and their surroundings, it reveals their
personalities and what they believe in. This is why companies have to hold
their employees responsible for their personal activities on social media in
order to protect their own image.
Levinson (2009) stated that most
members of social networks see their pages as personal not professional. And
the danger that must be known to every student who has Facebook and twitter
account arises: you upload photos while drunk at a party or similarly
indisposed. Two years later, you apply for a job somewhere and they check those
photos and decide not to hire you. This shows that image plays a big role in
companies and it needs to be protected.
WHY COMPANIES HOLD THEIR EMPLOYEES RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR INDIVIDUAL
ACTIVITIES ON SOCIAL MEDIA?
The social media users often
write everything they feel of think on their pages and at times what they write
might damage the company’s reputation. According to Wilson (2009) there are
four principle worries that management has in regard to social networking: data
lickage from staff gossiping freely in an open environment, damage to a
company’s reputation, scams practiced by “cyber crooks”, and the open access to
company information because of outdated passwords.
One other possible use of social
networks that is a source of concern to management is the possible damage to
the company’s reputation that can be brought about post online. If an employee
were to be angry, or have had a bad day, they might be inclined to take their
anger out online. This behaviour could damage the company’s reputation.
However, employers have the right to hold employees responsible for such
conduct if the posting are used to attack the company or harass co-workers
(Bresline, 2009).
CONCLUSION
Therefore as discussed in
previous paragraphs, employees should be held responsible for what they write
on social media in order to protect the company image.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bradley, A.J. 2010. A New Definition Of Social Media.
Available: http://blogs.gartner.com/anthony_bradley/2010/01/07/a-new-definition-of-social-media/
[accessed 08 March 2013]
Bresline, T. 2009. When social networking enters the workplace.
Available: http://ezproxy.neumann.edu.2048
[accessed 08 March 2013]
Levinson, P. 2009. New New Media. United State of America:
Pearson Education
Wilson, J. 2009. Social
networking: the business case. Engineering&Technology. 10(4): 54-56
