Social Media, the New Water Cooler

Is Social Media the new water cooler? As interesting as the question may be, we need to look at the history of the water cooler. The phrase is most commonly used and associated with closed offices where employees would meet in the break room near the water cooler, and talk about their day. Traditionally these conversations were quiet, usually did not involve more than a few individuals, and rarely went anywhere else. These days, offices are open, and the water cooler is now Facebook. Employees have been identified as using Facebook as if it were the water cooler of years past, and being heavily questioned around it or even losing their job over it. However, the people are fighting back.

The article “Even if It Enrages Your Boss, Social Net Speech Is Protected,” by Steve Greenhouse of the New York Times, is raising questions whether or not Facebook and other sites will now be protected as if it were the water cooler. As we know, Facebook is commonly used as a platform to communicate with friends, friends of friends, family members, people the individual once met and forgot about, and people the individual may have never met. That being said the article still justifies the use of Facebook as if it were a water cooler, and that use is now protected under eventually Federal regulation.

“The National Labor Relations Board says workers have a right to discuss work conditions freely and without fear of retribution, whether the discussion takes place at the office or on Facebook,” says Greenhouse. The organization is taking the argument federally, mandating that every big name company must revamp their rules and regulations regarding Social Media, and furthermore, reinstate any employees who were terminated in the process. Although this may affect the employer, greenhouse speaks about a case that actually involved several employees. According to the article, one employee decided to complain on her Facebook