Proposition de corrigé

No place to let your hair down. Introduction This short article taken from the well-known American quality paper The Washington Post, and published in July evokes the possible setbacks of belonging to social networks. The humorous title refers to the expression « to let your hair down » which means to relax and enjoy oneself especially when you are in a comfortable situation. Apparently, you should not do that on Facebook! -1 The structure of the article -2 Big brother is watching you -3 How to counter this ever growing power 1. This article starts with striking examples of some people's careless use of Social networks when they show themselves in situations that could be punished by the law. Then it moves on to the use of intelligence in social networks for potential employers to find out more about their potential employees. At last, the author, although aware of the possible drawbacks of the availability of this information, also highlights the positive aspects users could take advantage of if they thought about it or cared. 2. The examples given show how the innocent use of photos on Facebook could be badly interpreted and have a detrimental effect if the person was to be checked. The process of hiring a new recruit in a firm is now almost automatically accompanied with a Google search. The potential employers wants to check that people are not engaged in unlawful activities, do not take drugs etc. This reminds us of the famous novel by George Orwell 1984 in which the main characters were continually spied on. And this could be considered to threaten individual liberty, which is frightening for some. 3. In spite of the evocation of this threat to liberties, the author encourages future job-seekers to polish their profile. In short, instead of aiming photos and comments at hundreds of friends, they should take more care of how they appear on these networks. I quote: « Create an online persona that is far richer than a resume might be. »

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CCL : Evoke the last of Facebook's evolutions in which people have to choose explicitly to avoid being more open to public scrutiny. Mention the fact that creating a persona which you would like your future employer to see, has nothing to do with the initial spirit of Facebook.