Last lecture, someone brought up the ongoing debate of “is it ethical for employers to look at a potential employee’s Facebook page before interviewing/hiring him/her?”

During the class, I was quite persistent on thinking “No, it is not ethical! Just because we want to work for a company does not give them the right to look at our personal lives!” However, on the drive home after class, Vancouver’s wonderful rainfall gave me the opportunity to sit in my car in heavy traffic, listening to some music, and wishing that cars had voice-activated internet (safety first! no devices!) so that I could go on Facebook to see what my friends were up to. And then, it dawned on me. Facebook creeping.

Now, I am in no way trying to offend anyone by using the word “creeping”; it’s simply a Facebook/online lingo that defines going to the profiles of others and looking through their page-whether it be their photos, or who they have been talking to. So then I sat there, still stuck in traffic, thinking, “if we as users, often use Facebook to creep, then why can’t employers?” As unethical as it sounds for someone sitting in an office, about to type out a report, but then going on Facebook to look at an applicant, what makes sitting in class or at home, about to write out a blog or homework assignment, and going to creep on a friend’s friend that we may have met at a party last night any different?

In reality, there is not much difference. In fact, the only main difference I can think of is that the better dressed person is getting paid to do it. Other than that, they are just using an online website/community for what it is developed for, and that is, sharing what you want to share, with others in the community. I think that we are so used to websites like Facebook, and Twitter that it is almost instinct to update whenever we can, about whatever we can; without thinking of the consequences. You are who you are, and Facebook will not hide that. What it does hide (or we simply just tend to forget) is that Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. are all online communities, in which others will be able to see who you are. So be smart about it. Untag yourself from nine if not ten of those ten drunken pictures, and most importantly, do not update your Facebook on how good that party was last night, or how fun your outing was if you have called in sick to work that day due to “stomach pains” – especially if you have anyone from your job on your Facebook.

So my final two cents?

If you can creep, I can creep, and more importantly, so can a CEO.