Baseline Argumentative Essay

             Be careful what you post online, because it’s there to stay.  According to “Guess Who’s Looking at Your Facebook Page?” by Alessandra Potenza,  more and more often as we head into an age where most things are digitized, bosses and schools now look up current and potential applicants online, especially on social media.  Some people say that employers and schools should be allowed to do this because it lets schools and jobs vet out applicants who wouldn't be good for their program, and it also is your own fault if they see something they don’t like.  Others say that when schools and jobs do this it’s unfair because things that you have done years ago can come back up online.  Over the course of this essay you will see why potential and current schools and jobs should be allowed to look up current or potential students or employees online.

            In the internet age on most social networks there are privacy settings so that only certain people can see what you do or don’t post.  This is important because you have control over who sees what, so if a prospective employer or school happens to look you up on Facebook or Twitter, it’s your own fault if they see something that they don’t like.  Some argue that colleges and businesses don’t have time to look up everyone who applies online, but according to Upfront magazine, “Nevertheless, many guidance counselors are urging students to… review their social media profiles, remove inappropriate photos, and boost privacy settings.”  This shows that you and only you have the ability to control what people see of you online.  Also, many people don’t control what others get to see, so if jobs or schools see something they don’t like, don’t complain.  They did nothing wrong, so it is not unfair if you don’t get the job or school.  It’s your fault for not boosting you privacy settings.  This connects with what Emma Sullivan, a woman who was punished for tweeting offensively about a governor.  Ms. Sullivan said, “Your tweets and your Facebook posts and whatever other social media you have is really out there…. It’s out there permanently, it’s out there for everyone to see.”  This really brings home the idea that everything is public.  There’s no privacy, so be careful what you do online.  Taken as a whole, all of this evidence connects back to the fact that it is not ethically wrong for prospective employers or college to look you up online.

            This relates to the next point of the essay.  If you are not a good fit or responsible enough for this prospective job or college, why should you get in over someone else who’s more deserving?  Prospective employers and schools could use social media to vet prospective employees or students.  According to “Guess Who’s Looking at Your Facebook Page?” by Alessandra Potenza, not many students get looked up online, but those who do have good reason to , and those “Web searches have turned up cases of plagiarism…. And even accusations of assaults that counselors and teachers didn't feel comfortable talking about to admissions officers….”  This shows that not everything about people is told, so a search on social media can turn up a lot, and can also be very helpful to vet out the undesirables who shouldn't get the job or acceptance into the college.  Not only what you do, but also how you present yourself on the internet makes a big impact and effect on people when they look you up online.  According to the article, “ ‘It’s important to make sure that you present yourself in a professional manner on your social networking site if you’re looking for a job.’ ” If you aren’t professional online, how will potential employers know if you’ll be professional offline and in a workplace.  They won’t.  All in all, this connects back to the claim because if potential schools or bosses can’t look you up online, they can’t vet people to see who would work best in their school or work environment, and if they do, part of social networks is acting professional online so that potential colleges and bosses see you at your best.

            Despite all of this, some argue it is unfair for potential bosses or schools to look at their profiles or look them up online because things that they posted or did years ago could come up and give them a gad image.  This happened to one girl names Emma Sullivan.  According to the article, “a tweet she wrote regarding then-Governor Sam Brownback of Kansas almost got her a disciplinary action because her principal deemed it offensive.  Two years later, the incident is still all over the Internet if you Google her name. And she worries it might affect her chances of getting a job.”  People who say that it isn’t right for bosses or schools to look at them online say that this shows how one small comment can ruin your chances if bosses or schools look you up online.  To this, there is only one thing to say and that, according to the article, is “ ‘Think first, tweet later.’ ”  This effective quote shows and tells people that if you think there might be repercussions for what you post, always think before posting, and years later, you won’t have anything bad online that could ruin your chances at getting a job or getting into a school.

            As you have seen over the course of this essay, schools and jobs do have the right and reason to look up potential and current students and employees.  If they didn't do this, jobs and schools could be accepting even the most unqualified person.  Would you rather have your banker be someone who is irresponsible and gets too drunk on the weekend or is responsible and knows how to act properly?  If jobs and schools don’t look people up online, they couldn't know how responsible that person was or what they were like personally and don’t you need to know that before accepting someone?