By Sarah Tedesco, Staff Writer, Emerson College
The first amendment grants us all freedom of speech, but does this freedom of speech give us the protection against current and future employers when we post about ourselves on social networking sites and the Internet? The subject is up for debate, but the fact is first impressions make a huge difference in the job market. When future employers see a Facebook clogged with images of late night parties and statuses implying inappropriate behavior, they aren’t going to hire you.
Go ahead, post that image of you getting drunk off your ass you want all of your friends to see, but realize before you press the “post” button that everyone and anyone can see it.
When I got my first email in the second grade I was excited beyond words and felt, as my mother says, “super cool.” But my parents didn’t allow me to just run wild on the World Wide Web. They sat me down, explained the dangers of the Internet, and told me not type my personal information anywhere on the web. I think most people are told this, but it is through listening and completely understanding why people such as our parents warn us about the Internet. It isn’t just because of creeps and pedophiles searching for young prey, but because the Internet is permanent and whatever you post about yourself will travel with you years down the road.
When I was 13 I made my first MySpace without my parents’ permission. They were livid. My laptop was taken away and parental controls were put on so that I would stop going to not only social networking sites, but to inappropriate websites such as porn. I was thirteen; I didn’t understand this was not okay. I thought, “Since it’s on the Internet, it is okay”. It wasn’t until I was 15, still without a Facebook and in my first year of high school, that I realized just how powerful the Internet could be.
My parents enrolled me in a private school that excelled in educating students on possible career and academic paths. My academic counselor was conducting a workshop which consisted of helping us build our academic and extracurricular resumes and searching us online, something he told us all future employers will do. When he started typing my name in to Google a rush of nerves consumed me. I had never posted anything I would be upset about my parents seeing, or embarrassed about a friend viewing, but for a moment I still thought, what would my 9th grade guidance counselor find out about me on the World Wide Web?
He didn’t find anything. I wasn’t expecting him to find anything, but we all have those moments of doubt where we shut down and become uncertain of everything. Fortunately, I had parents who cared for my future and forced me to think twice about everything I post. Ask yourself this question before posting a photo on Facebook or any social networking site: Would you show this picture to an employer or admissions counselor?
We all know of the girl in our senior class who partied every weekend, or about the football player who plays beer pong every weekend. I have no problem with these individuals but what I do have a problem with is when these people share every moment of their lives on Facebook. I have no need to see them drinking alcohol and smoking out of a bong on my newsfeed. Personally, I believe that college admission officers and future employers have every right to judge an applicant on their presence on social media. Like I said earlier, first impressions make a huge difference. If I was an admissions officer and was deciding between two applicants, one with a clean Facebook highlighting the strengths of the applicant, and another with a profile filled with risqué photographs, I would choose the first applicant.
We live in a technological world and I am by no way saying delete your Facebook. I am not even saying not to express yourself. All I am saying is watch what you post and ask yourself the question, “Would I hang this is my office cubicle?” before pressing submit. I have no sympathy for individuals who whine about being fired from a job or called in to their high school principal’s office because they're an underage student holding an ambiguous “red cup”. Suck it up, hold back the tears, and think about permanently marking the internet with racy images or personal rants you don’t want everyone and everyone viewing.
Sarah Tedesco is a quirky freshman journalism student who wants to one day be the Associate Director of a nonprofit organization that works to end sexual assault victim blaming in the media. She is obsessed with crazy reality television shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians as well as drinking large amounts of coffee. She is from Sarasota, Florida. She enjoys crushing on Justin Bieber and is not embarrassed by her love for teen pop idols.
The first amendment grants us all freedom of speech, but does this freedom of speech give us the protection against current and future employers when we post about ourselves on social networking sites and the Internet? The subject is up for debate, but the fact is first impressions make a huge difference in the job market. When future employers see a Facebook clogged with images of late night parties and statuses implying inappropriate behavior, they aren’t going to hire you.
Go ahead, post that image of you getting drunk off your ass you want all of your friends to see, but realize before you press the “post” button that everyone and anyone can see it.
When I got my first email in the second grade I was excited beyond words and felt, as my mother says, “super cool.” But my parents didn’t allow me to just run wild on the World Wide Web. They sat me down, explained the dangers of the Internet, and told me not type my personal information anywhere on the web. I think most people are told this, but it is through listening and completely understanding why people such as our parents warn us about the Internet. It isn’t just because of creeps and pedophiles searching for young prey, but because the Internet is permanent and whatever you post about yourself will travel with you years down the road.
When I was 13 I made my first MySpace without my parents’ permission. They were livid. My laptop was taken away and parental controls were put on so that I would stop going to not only social networking sites, but to inappropriate websites such as porn. I was thirteen; I didn’t understand this was not okay. I thought, “Since it’s on the Internet, it is okay”. It wasn’t until I was 15, still without a Facebook and in my first year of high school, that I realized just how powerful the Internet could be.
My parents enrolled me in a private school that excelled in educating students on possible career and academic paths. My academic counselor was conducting a workshop which consisted of helping us build our academic and extracurricular resumes and searching us online, something he told us all future employers will do. When he started typing my name in to Google a rush of nerves consumed me. I had never posted anything I would be upset about my parents seeing, or embarrassed about a friend viewing, but for a moment I still thought, what would my 9th grade guidance counselor find out about me on the World Wide Web?
He didn’t find anything. I wasn’t expecting him to find anything, but we all have those moments of doubt where we shut down and become uncertain of everything. Fortunately, I had parents who cared for my future and forced me to think twice about everything I post. Ask yourself this question before posting a photo on Facebook or any social networking site: Would you show this picture to an employer or admissions counselor?
We all know of the girl in our senior class who partied every weekend, or about the football player who plays beer pong every weekend. I have no problem with these individuals but what I do have a problem with is when these people share every moment of their lives on Facebook. I have no need to see them drinking alcohol and smoking out of a bong on my newsfeed. Personally, I believe that college admission officers and future employers have every right to judge an applicant on their presence on social media. Like I said earlier, first impressions make a huge difference. If I was an admissions officer and was deciding between two applicants, one with a clean Facebook highlighting the strengths of the applicant, and another with a profile filled with risqué photographs, I would choose the first applicant.
We live in a technological world and I am by no way saying delete your Facebook. I am not even saying not to express yourself. All I am saying is watch what you post and ask yourself the question, “Would I hang this is my office cubicle?” before pressing submit. I have no sympathy for individuals who whine about being fired from a job or called in to their high school principal’s office because they're an underage student holding an ambiguous “red cup”. Suck it up, hold back the tears, and think about permanently marking the internet with racy images or personal rants you don’t want everyone and everyone viewing.
Sarah Tedesco is a quirky freshman journalism student who wants to one day be the Associate Director of a nonprofit organization that works to end sexual assault victim blaming in the media. She is obsessed with crazy reality television shows like Keeping Up with the Kardashians as well as drinking large amounts of coffee. She is from Sarasota, Florida. She enjoys crushing on Justin Bieber and is not embarrassed by her love for teen pop idols.