Category: Uncategorized

 

This week, Kim Kardashian was robbed in Paris. It’s a well known fact that the Kardashian’s love social media and the attention that comes from it – in fact, Kim alone has millions of followers on her social media sites.

Speculation abound, a recent article talks about the fact that she was a fairly easy target thanks to her social media activity. There are also suspicions that this could be a publicity stunt, but we’ll let the police determine that.

There are some good lessons that can be taken from this incident that you can put into practice on your own social media sites, whether this is in fact a real incident or even if it’s a hoax – you may not have millions of followers, but social media has definitely made it easier for criminals to do their work.

Be humble: you may be proud of your latest big purchase, whether it’s a new car, or jewelry, or the newest electronic gadget. Be cautious when posting – it may encourage criminals scouting your page to pay a visit to your home, especially if your social media profile is wide open to the public. Kim posted an image of her ring on Instagram which was immediately viewable by anyone who wanted to see it.

 

 

Save those vacation pics for your return home: or at least try to not disclose too much about your travels, such as the date and time you’ll return home (so people don’t know how long your house will be empty), or, better yet, save the picture uploads to share once you’re back home. If you enjoy sharing your travels as they are happening, be smart about it – be sure your privacy settings are as strict as possible so the images are only visible to friends and family. One thing in the Kardashian case is that they posted pictures along the way, making it easy for people to track their location and where they would be at any given time.

Keep your location quiet: You can still share vacation pics in real time if you are sure your phone’s GPS is turned off and your captions are more generic (ie “Having a great time at the beach!”). Criminals can find ways to find out the location from where an image is taken when a phone’s GPS or locator service is turned on.

Routines are easy to spot online: in a very random moment of complete boredom, I caught a portion of an episode of “Keeping up with the Kardashians” in which the older sisters were cautioning their youngest sister, Kylie, about posting on social media while out and about. From what I gathered, she had a stalker following her (or maybe she suspected she did; I didn’t watch long enough to figure it out). Her sisters chastised her for posting pictures from the restaurant and including the location of where they were. If you tend to check in to the same places online on a regular basis, it could give criminals insight into your routine.

These seem like common sense tips, but ones that tend to fall by the wayside. When you’re a celebrity, it’s much more difficult – social media brings attention and brand awareness, and fans want to see every detail of a celebrity’s life. The Kardashian family makes their living on this type of attention, but they can still be smart about it. When it comes to social media responsibility and sharing, don’t be a Kardashian!

 

Educating teens on social media use and responsibility is quite the challenge – with the immediacy and constant availability of social media, teens tend to use social media to vent frustration, share conflict, or even sometimes with the intent to harm a classmate’s reputation. Most times, teens don’t have malicious intent – they are simply posting their thoughts to social sites because that’s what they know.

In Alberta, they are taking a more focused approach to taking social media content offline to resolve content and education both parents and students. As they realizing that most social media postings and conflict are not necessarily criminal in nature, but need to be addressed, they have focused on intervention techniques that take the social conflict offline for resolution.

The RCMP, who is heading up this initiative, does not (yet) monitor social media to identify such content; instead, they rely on parent and student reports of content that is deemed problematic. From there, they formed a community justice forum which brings teens (and parents) together to discuss issues raised online. A recent article sums up teen social media conflict quite nicely:

“A lot of the issues are interpersonal conflict being dealt with in an inappropriate way,” says Kading. “Even as adults we are learning socialization skills all the time. I think a lot of the time, the conversations (our officers have) on an informal basis with young people can serve more effectively than if we have to go a formal route.”

Schools can learn from this example and even take a more proactive approach through social media monitoring. While it’s almost impossible to capture any and all conflict, location based monitoring can help monitor social media content that is posted while within the school boundaries. By identifying potential issues, schools can proactively engage at risk students or address student conflicts as they arise. This can help educate students on the reality and permanent nature of online content, and make them think before they post. The schools can provide students with tools for handling conflict offline, thus building relationship skills among their student body.

While this will always exist, finding ways to education the teenage set on social media responsibility and offline interpersonal relationships can be effective in raising responsible young adults.

 

Whether you’re just out of college and ready to start your career, or you’re looking for a change, you may have noticed that job seeking is changing. Part of it has to do with technology in general, such as online applications vs. postal mailing of resumes and cover letters, and another has to do with social media. In a way, the “human factor” is somewhat removed from the process, at least in the initial screening stages.

CNN Money recently published an article talking about these changes as they related to college students who are gearing up for graduation. The article talks about how fewer companies are conducting on campus interviews, instead turning toward automated screening processes for the initial phase of the application.

The reduction in on campus interviews stemmed from the recession back in 2008, but even as the economy stabilized, companies did not see the value in visiting campuses as much as they used to.

What are they doing instead?

Some are reporting that they rely on automated software programs such as HireVue, a software program that assists with employee selection. Some companies prefer this method for several reasons:

• It is automated, meaning less time HR Departments spend sorting through resumes and applications.

• According the HireVue’s website, software programs allow for company-specific application processes that are more streamlined and focused on the position candidates are applying for versus standard resumes.

• Additionally, incorporating video introductions gives employers a quick glance into a candidate’s personality before they get to the interview process.

• Companies are finding that resumes are becoming less effective in learning about candidates and predicting the success of a new hire.

• In addition to such automated technology, social media is also giving employers a level of insight into a candidate at the beginning stages of the process.

The message is essentially this: companies are using technology and social media to lift the burden of traditional hiring processes, and job seekers need to be aware of this. In addition to being able to provide a strong application, job seekers must also take the following into consideration:

• Resumes may be on their way out the door: when seeking a job, really think about whether it could be a good fit. Long gone are the days of mass mailing a resume to see what sticks. With automated processes, it will be important to make sure your qualifications align with the job you’re seeking.

• Get comfortable with technology: just as automated screening tools are coming into play now, it won’t be long before video is the new job application. If you’re not familiar with web based recording, it might not be a bad time to get comfortable with recording yourself on video. It might be the best first impression you can make when companies request it!

• Find out how employers may see you: companies are turning to social media as much as automated processes, so it’s best to make sure that your social persona online matches with who you really are (or at the very least how you want employers to perceive you!). You can do something as simple as a Google search for your name (or name and city/state if you have a more common name) and review the first 3-4 pages of results, or use a social media monitoring service to conduct an online background check.

Things are changing rapidly, and it’s important for job seekers to stay on top of the latest trends in hiring. It’s competitive out there; having any advantage possible can make a difference in landing that dream job!

 

 

 

A new research study sheds some light on how using social media content can be a predictor in issues with alcohol for college aged students. The Journal of Health Communication released the study results from the Taylor & Francis Group looking at the correlation between a college student’s social media postings related to alcohol use and their self-reported identity with alcohol to determine if social media content can be used as a predictor to future problems with alcohol use.

The study was compromised of 364 undergraduate students from a mid-sized university in the Midwest. Students included in the study were active on social media sites, had consumed alcohol in the 30 days prior to the start of the study, and were at least 18 years of age. They then provided information via surveys regarding key aspects, including:

• Their social media activity (how long they spend on social sites & how many connections they have on each site)

• Their alcohol identity (need & motivation for consuming alcohol)

• Identifying potential problems with alcohol

• Level of alcohol related posting on social media sites

The results were interesting, but not entirely surprising. The study found that different motivations led to potential alcohol problems, but a correlation was made to social media posting and increased potential for alcohol problems in the future. The chart below shows the correlations found in the study.

 

 

Obviously, consuming alcohol and posting on social sites was a positive indicator of potential problems with alcohol..However, when taking a closer look at the motivation behind alcohol consumption, the results get a bit more interesting.

• Those who were deemed to have an alcohol identity, meaning that they believe that alcohol consumption is part of “who they are” which is supported by alcohol related social media postings, are easiest to use social media to predict problems with alcohol.

• Those who indicate alcohol consumption is driven by a need for entertainment do not necessarily post as much social content related to alcohol. This means that this group would be the most difficult to pinpoint problems with alcohol through social media.

• Those who cite social norms (fitting in, being popular, peer pressure) may show an increase in social media postings related to alcohol consumption, but may not drink as frequently and are not as likely to experience problems with alcohol.

It’s interesting to note the role social media content plays in this study. Those who are identified as having an “alcohol identity” will likely post alcohol related content often because this is who they are. Those who feel peer pressure or want to “fit in” will likely see this content and feel that it is “normal.” Increased social content may encourage alcohol consumption, but at a potentially lesser rate; they can engage in alcohol consumption infrequently but post alcohol related content on their social sites to give the impression that they are “like everyone else” and feel as though they fit in without it becoming a problem.

This study has many key takeaways for parents, students, and school administrators:

• School administrators can use social media content from its student base to identify at risk students and/or groups based on study findings. From there, they can develop programs and plans to address these at risk students before a situation becomes out of hand.

• Similarly, school administrators can address the perception of alcohol consumption on college campuses with support from this study’s findings; educating students on what is perceived as popular and common among college aged students vs reality can be effective.

• Parents need to be aware of their child’s social media content. Sometimes it is revealing to see what a child posts on social sites. Young adults usually aren’t willing to share much with parents; this is where a reputation management service can help – by providing as much information that is known, a service such as this can help identify all public facing social media content their child posts. This can lead toward open discussions about alcohol consumption and related consequences.

• Colleges are starting to implement similar screenings for incoming students that will help identify those with an alcohol identity.. These screenings coupled with social media monitoring tools, can help colleges identify at risk students prior to their arrival on campus.

 

 

 

One of the newer Snapchat filters, Speed, is causing some issue. What are filters? They are add-ons you can use for Snapchats. According to their website, “Jazz up your Snap by adding a fun overlay with a Filter! After you take a Snap, swipe right or left on the preview screen to add colored filters, the current time, local weather, speed overlays or Geofilters to your Snaps.”

Newer filters included date, location, and other geo-filters. More recently, their “speed” filter has been making headlines – it allows users to record the speed they are traveling when the image was taken.

Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right?

Of course they have the standard warning – “don’t snap and drive” – but they are forgetting who their core demographic is – teens and 20 somethings. They take risks, think they’re invincible, and all of that good stuff. I can’t imagine many teens running with their phones while taking pictures to use this filter. I can see some as passengers in a car, but unfortunately I can also envision teens using it while they are driving.

A news story was making its rounds last week. A teen got into an accident while she was trying to use the speed filter. The man she hit was severely injured, with traumatic brain injury among other things. He is now suing the family of the teen driver and Snapchat.

The teen driver openly admitted the reason for the crash. From the article: “McGee wanted to post an image of herself going fast. She argued that she was, ‘Just trying to get the car to 100 miles per hour to post it on Snapchat.'” the victim’s lawyers say.”

My first thought was about the man and his family suing Snapchat – should the social media company be held responsible for the accident? My first inclination was against suing – I likened it to suing a beer company for an accident that involved a drunk driver who was drinking that particular beer. There are plenty of warnings about drinking and driving, and if someone chooses to abuse the product, they and they alone should be held accountable.

However, as I thought about it and learned more about the story, I may be changing my mind. First, I do believe that social sites have a responsibility in the features of their product. As I mentioned earlier, there’s not much to do with a filter that records speed outside of driving, at least not much that would appeal to Snapchat’s users. It’s almost asking for trouble.

Secondly, according to the lawsuit, Snapchat was aware of other similar accidents while using this filter, and a petition was started on change.org that encouraged the company to remove the filter. Yet the filter remains.

If the company has in fact become aware of instances in which the filter was directly responsible for car accidents and has not removed it, then I think it’s fair game for this victim to sue the company. Unlike my beer analogy, this filter is directly tied to activities that could put a driver in harm’s way. Beer is not meant to be consumed while driving, operating a bicycle, or even roller skating for that fact. This filter is designed to be used specifically to track speed, and driving is a significant method for doing so.

I will be watching this story develop as it plays out in court. In the meantime, I would love to hear your thoughts – do you think the victim in this accident is right in suing Snapchat? Please leave your comments below and join in the conversation!