Social Networking

In a corporation, social networking can be utilized through human resources in recruitment. Today, job seekers are not surprised at all about that fact and most job hunters seek to refine and polish their online social media presence in order to improve their personal images. This makes them more desirable to employers so that in turn, organizations will proactively seek to hire them. LinkedIn is one of the most popular, if not the most popular, social media communities used for career purposes. The relationship is two-fold, as job seekers want to put themselves out there, and recruiters can easily identify top talent in a simple manner. LinkedIn is essentially a recruiter's best friend, since it allows them to "find [talent] faster using a vastly increased network of contacts" (Langfitt). Recruiters can also use other more personal social media mediums to uncover how a potential best-fit candidate for an open job position carries him/herself on an everyday basis. For example, a recruiter at any large corporation would want to make sure a potential candidate does not divulge confidential information in online communities, such as Twitter. Aside from corporate, social networking can be used to bring people together of course for a variety of common interests and purposes, no matter the physical distance. These technologies allow people to converse in the comfort of their own homes and their phones, behind a screen. It is also easy for people to come together for a larger societal meaning and purpose, which is why hashtags such as #BlackLivesMatter and #PrayForParis emerge. 

Backtracking to recruitment strategies, there is a dark side with social networking. As millennials are entering the workforce and acknowledging how their social media identities are synonymous to their real-life identities, they especially value their online privacy. As the article "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do" states, "the majority of young adult users of Facebook are engaged with managing their privacy settings on the site at least to some extent...". It is also imperative that recruiters are mindful to not show bias towards certain candidates if they are of a certain ethnicity, age, or gender. Bias can be easily created through social network searching. 

I believe social networking will continuously evolve in a way that will make every member of society have to play a part in social media. The big social media greats such as Facebook and Instagram have already started to incorporate new and exciting technology such as 360 degree live video and live coverage of live events. It would not be a surprise if the workers of these companies are actively seeking ways to make their product a "must" for all people, and to further their reach and influence even more.   

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References:

Langfitt, Frank. "Social Networking Technology Boosts Job Recruiting." NPR. NPR, 22 Nov. 2006. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6522523&sc=emaf>.

Parry, Marc. "Who Cares About Facebook Privacy? Students Do." The Chronicle of Higher Education. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 29 July 2010. Web. 06 Mar. 2016. <http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/who-cares-about-facebook-privacy-students-do/25877>.