In this blog I have often underlined the undisputed contribution of the Social Media to customer empowerment. What we have to realize is that empowerment is by no means limited to customers only but expands to everyone who has access on the online information and alternatives: these can be our competitors, our suppliers and not to forget our bosses (or potential bosses).
One of the effects of the Social Media that certainly requires more attention is the voluntary violation of personal privacy: people posting online content that compromises not only their privacy but also can negatively affect their personal life and career. This becomes evident by some recent cases: A Canadian depressed woman who lost her insurance benefits because of Facebook pictures, a Swiss woman who was fired when she was spotted using the Facebook while claiming to be too ill to use a computer or an intern who was busted partying while he told his boss that he had to return home because of a family emergency!
Cases like these and of course many others like the Domino's Pizza I wrote about some time ago tend to become routine making me wonder if some people are very naive or lack every sense of the often praised personal privacy. The fact is that employers today have a new tool in their toolbox for screening job candidates. A recent study of Creerbulder found that online content posted by potential employers can have negative but also positive effects on employment chances. The summary of the study is very interesting for everyone involved in Social Media networking.
