Social media : the butterfly effect.

• Main Authors: Chia, Wei Long., Lim, Han Wei., Wu, Huishan.
• Other Authors: Ulrike Marianne Murfett
• Format: Final Year Project
• Language: English
• Published: 2009
• Subjects: DRNTU::Social sciences::Mass media
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/10356/15124
• Institution: Nanyang Technological University

Social media is gaining popularity as a communication tool. Nonetheless, there are controversies towards the use of information gathered from social media especially in recruitment. This exploratory study seeks to understand the extent and type of social media usage in Singapore as well as local users’ preferences for privacy settings in response to the evolving practice of employers engaging social media to gather information on their candidates. Findings showed that there is an extensive usage of social media locally, with an average of two platforms used. This puts Singapore on par in social media engagement with our counterparts on the global social media scene. The main motive local social media users engage in social media is to maintain contacts. They are generally unaware of the potential risks brought about by employers’ practice. Hence, they are less likely to be careful when posting information online. Also, this explains local social media users’ preference for open privacy settings. HR professionals in Singapore interviewed are not receptive of adopting the practice of gathering information on their candidates yet as they feel that it is neither ethical nor effective. The findings will benefit two groups of people. Job seekers who are currently engaging in social media will be aware of the risks of using social media in recruitment and how they should protect themselves. Furthermore, job seekers will recognize that personal branding through social media profiles can enhance their employability. On the other hand, employers can make use of the findings to determine whether this method of gathering data provides accurate information about their candidates as well as whether it should be adopted.