What Are The Benefits To Social Media?

[Lieju]

Well I occasionally want to make attempts of having a social life and have issues with face-to-face communication, so there's that.

It really is just one more way of keeping in touch with people, and I don't keep in touch with people I don't like or who won't be useful to me so I'm fine with it.

 

[Nukekitten]

What I understand is that perspective employers are now looking online to see if you on social media.

Yeah, that by all accounts I've seen happens a lot. However:

If you aren't, then they will assume that you are an anti-social, unemployable malcontent.

Why do you think that not having one makes employers respond in that way?

I don't have a Facebook account and have been employed for around a year and a half at my current employer. When I spoke to the girl in HR who did the screening she said she'd viewed it as a good thing, since it meant I was less likely to bring the company into disrepute.

 

[KissingSunlight]

What I understand is that perspective employers are now looking online to see if you on social media.

Yeah, that by all accounts I've seen happens a lot. However:

If you aren't, then they will assume that you are an anti-social, unemployable malcontent.

Why do you think that not having one makes employers respond in that way?

I don't have a Facebook account and have been employed for around a year and a half at my current employer. When I spoke to the girl in HR who did the screening she said she'd viewed it as a good thing, since it meant I was less likely to bring the company into disrepute.

I might have exaggerated what perspective employers might think about not having a social media account. I have read that they consider not having an account as a sign of being an unsociable person. Also, most employers consider being proficient with social media a required job skill. You must be able to know how promote people and things online. I guess in the hope of having their employees give their company and products a higher profile.

 

[Nukekitten]

I might have exaggerated what perspective employers might think about not having a social media account. I have read that they consider not having an account as a sign of being an unsociable person.

Uhm. Unless you have some reason to believe that the person writing is a trustworthy source with sound judgement and access to the relevant facts, that's going to get you misled a lot.

Also, most employers consider being proficient with social media a required job skill. You must be able to know how promote people and things online. I guess in the hope of having their employees give their company and products a higher profile.

The risks and returns of that strategy seem unlikely to balance. On the return side you have that their friends might see your company exists once in a while, which I doubt counts for very much in driving sales. On the loss side you have one of your employees coming out as a racist homophobe who thinks Hitler didn't go far enough, and your brand then becoming associated with that. The probabilities of the events aren't the same, but the harm in the latter case is vastly greater than the return in the former.

I'm not saying they don't act as you claim they act. But I am saying it seems implausible enough on a shallow reading that I'd need a lot of trustworthy evidence to accept the belief for myself. The majority? What percentage? Where's the data coming from? Who said it and what are their interests (financial and ideology) in this matter?