'Social Media Is A Bad Idea' By S. Kumar: Article Analysis

In his article “Why monitoring employees’ social media is a bad idea” (Kumar, Why monitoring employees' social media is a bad idea, 2015) S. Kumar attempts to prove to his readers that when a company runs a social media search on them, either pre-employment or post-employment, it is a damaging move for them. In his article he explores a number of the reasons why he feels that infringing on an employee’s rights in this manner, is so wrong. Kumar’s appeal to the reader’s emotions and his ability to point out the inherent flaws in the companies reasoning, gives his readers the ability to understand and agree with his points. Kumar explains that people lie on their social media sites and the possible abuse of bias against the employees as two

He gives very specific reasoning’s to back up his claims that running searches is wrong. Such as “First, the argument that companies need to keep tabs online to ensure that their employees refrain from inappropriate or illegal behavior doesn’t really hold” (Kumar, 2015, para. 4).Kumar then points out that if an employer observes any negative posts, they are highly probable they are only going to be about such infractions as “posting a picture of yourself dancing on a table” (Kumar, 2015 para.4). Additionally, Kumar points out that the majority of people will not post anything that is incrimidating enough to warrant being watched. Next, he argues the possibility of bias being practiced by the companies after running searches and possible discrimination against potential employees. This has been pointed out as a possible problem by others in the field of HR. As stated in the article “Social media strategies in recruiting, hiring pose legal risks for employers” (Bolagna, 2014, p. 1), Bolagna states that the threat of companies using social media searches have created “barriers that made it harder for members of a protected class to compete for employment” (Bolagna, 2014 para. 3). This gives creditable backing to Kumar’s statements that bias can be a creditable issue for companies when running social media

First, Kumar’s use of concrete language is impeccable. He is likewise very apt at using specific examples that tie into his writings. An example of these methods at work is when he points to an employee who “works tirelessly to raise money for breast cancer research” (Kumar, 2015, para. 6). By giving an example that the majority of people can relate to while additionally making it specific, Kumar shows his ability to work pathos effectively. Moreover, Kumar is pulls on the reader’s emotions by his wording choices. Consider this statement, “However, there is a vast difference between asking for employees to exercise good judgement and hovering over their Tweets like Big Brother” (Kumar, 2015, para. 10). This statement accomplishes two things in one simple sentence. It plays on the readers’ sense of pride. Pride that they can monitor themselves and do not need the company to watch over them. It also, compels the reader to become angry that their company may be infringing on their personal space. Kumar’s ability to pull on his readers emotions is