The Times They Are a Changin’: The Impact of Technology and Social Media on The Public Workplace

Topic of Research: Social Media on the Job

Title of Article: The Times They Are a Changin’: The Impact of Technology and Social Media on the Public Workplace, Part 1

Response:

        In this article, the authors Gregory Hearing and Brian Ussery focus their emphasis on the present day impact of social media and new technology in the work environment. Nowadays it is nearly impossible to enter the workplace or a public place of business without seeing the use of some kind of technological device. Everybody I know either has a cell phone, laptop, or tablet that they are able to access various different social media platforms instantly from. The most popular social media sites (LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Youtube, etc.) have millions of active users that flock to these platforms as a source of information gathering and communication at home and at work.

        We as individuals aren’t the only ones utilizing social media and its overwhelming popularity; businesses are getting in on the action too. Companies are using sites like Twitter and Facebook as a virtual cost-free resource to distribute information about products and services, develop brand recognition and public awareness, and promote open discussion between company and its potential (Hearing & Ussery, 2012). Several problems, however, also may potentially rise from the advent of social media like defamatory impact on the job or maintaining constitutional rights pertaining to free speech and other personal guaranteed freedoms.

          Hearing and Ussery also give several stories in the article that I found to be quite interesting too. Because social media has grown so much in the recent years, it has presented employers with new “problems” on the job that were not as prevalent before. For example, a public labor sector union in Scotland started using social media for training and educational purposes but soon ran into issues when workers started voicing concerns they had with their jobs. Another employer, Emergency Medical Services Corporation of Greenwood, Colorado, decided to terminate an employee for posting controversial comments about her supervisor on her personal Facebook page (something I have been guilty of doing myself). Both of these cases raised questions about employee’s rights pertaining to freedom of speech and their right to engage in that protected concerted activity (Hearing & Ussery, 2012).]

Asunda, P. (2010). Productivity, social networks, and net communities in the workplace.

        Techniques: Connecting Education & Careers, 85, 38-41.

Topic of Research: Social Media on the Job

Title of Article: Productivity, Social Networks, and Net Communities in the Workplace

Response:

        This article was particularly interesting to me because they pointed out benefits of adding social media and other technological advancements in the workplace. Author Paul Asunda says that working in the 21st century organization will require workers to be competent in using technologies and have a range of skills and expertise to work on common projects (Asunda, 2010).  I completely agree with this, especially pertaining to my generation and the ones to come. I can not name a time that I have gotten on Twitter or Instagram without seeing some sort of advertisement from companies in every industry like McDonalds, Toyota, Target or even Band-Aids. In my recent job searches, I have also noticed in my recent internship and job searches that the number of jobs related to the social media field is growing. Every other jobs in the marketing field seems like it is related to social media for example there is social media analyst or social media manager.