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The article discusses what the author refers to as the risks that are associated with the use of online social media and Internet research as a means of screening potential job candidates, and it mentions how employers might be able to gain access to information such as a job seeker's age, race, and religion which cannot legally be considered when making hiring decisions. Title VII of the U.S. Civil Rights Act of 1964 and a prohibition against discrimination in employment are assessed.

Despite their documented importance in the labor market, little is known about how workers use social networks to find jobs and their resulting effect on earnings. I use geographically detailed US employer-employee data to infer the role of social networks in connecting workers to jobs in high-paying firms. To identify social interactions in job search, I exploit variation in social network quality within small neighborhoods. Workers are more likely to change jobs, and more likely to move to a higher-paying firm, when their neighbors are employed in high-paying firms. Furthermore, local referral networks help match high-ability workers to high-paying firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents research on the potential role of online personal ad platforms, specifically Craigslist, in the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in the United States. It suggests an increase of casual sex partnerships due to an extended social group via the Internet, provides analysis of the prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases between 1999-2008 within 33 U.S. states, and nonmarket-related casual sex relations. It concludes that Craigslist site entry may influence HIV transmission trends and offers implications for healthcare industry professionals.

Abstract: Studies have shown that multitasking with technology, specifically using Social Networking Sites (SNSs), decreases both efficiency and productivity in an academic setting. This study investigates multitasking’s impact on the relationship between SNS use and Grade Point Average (GPA) in United States (US; n =451) and European (n =406) university students using quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Moderated Multiple Regression analysis results showed that the negative relationship between SNS use and GPA was moderated by multitasking only in the US sample. This may be due to European students being less prone to “disruptive” multitasking. The results provide valuable cautionary information about the impact of multitasking and using SNSs in a learning environment on university students’ GPAs. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

This study examines the participation of African Americans on social networking sites (SNS), and evaluates the degree to which African Americans engage in activities in the online environment to mitigate social capital deficits. Prior literature suggests that compared with whites, African Americans have less social capital that can enhance their socio-economic mobility. As such, my research question is: do African Americans enhance their social capital through their participation on SNS? I use nationally representative data collected from the Pew Internet and American Life Project to explore the research question. The results suggest that the online environment is potentially a space in which African Americans can lessen social capital deficits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

K-12 online learning and cyber charter schools have grown at a tremendous rate over the past decade. At the same time, these online programs have struggled to provide the social spaces where students can interact that K-12 schools are traditionally able to provide. Social networking presents a unique opportunity to provide these kinds of social interactions in an online environment. In this article, we trace the development and use of social networking at one cyber charter school to extend the space for online instruction and provide opportunities for social interaction that online schools are often unable to provide. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the high popularity of personal use of online social media, a low percentage of students and instructors use them for educational purposes. This qualitative study explores the use of social media among faculty in the discipline of public administration in the United States. Eight instructors participated in telephone interviews about their experiences and perceptions of using social media for teaching and learning. Instructors perceive that informal learning using social media could be facilitated by instructors and integrated into formal learning environments for enriched discussions, increased engagement, and broad connections. This study provides qualitative empirical support for social learning theories while offering strategies for and examples of how social media can be used to connect formal and informal learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Members of the Net Generation are increasingly using social networking sites to interact with individuals both on and off campus. In this study, we employed a quantitative approach with an exploration of descriptive data to examine Facebook site features pre-service educators use and how those features are used in personal and professional ways. Quantitative results indicate that interaction on Facebook is reciprocal. That is, the number of posts made to a wall was significantly related to the number of updates made by the profile owner. In addition, over 50% of profiles included pictures depicting heavy alcohol/binge thinking, 17% contained at least one sexually explicit photo, and 10% included pictures and names of K-12 students from practicum/internship assignments. Descriptive data indicated limited use of Facebook in professional ways. However, where professional interactions were noted, profile owners used peers for instructional ideas and ongoing classroom support. Recommendations for future research are described. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growth of social networking sites (SNSs) introduces a variety of interesting behaviors by users of these online informing environments. SNSs have become important informing channels for both personal and commercial interests, but paradoxically some experience enormous growth even when unfavorable consequences are continually reported, while others decline. This research investigates new factors influencing SNS satisfaction and continuance intention. A survey given to college students in a North American university using sites like Facebook or MySpace was used to examine satisfaction and continuance intention based on transdisciplinary theories of technology acceptance and satisfaction, with the addition of two new constructs. The results indicate that authority figure users have a negative moderating effect on satisfaction, while resistance to change positively affects continuance intention, even in the face of such dissatisfaction. Limitations of the study include the use of only North American students as subjects. Therefore, cultural issues and the use of a student sample make the results inapplicable to the general population. The results of the study help explain why some SNS environments might enjoy growth and popularity even as others fail, extending the literature on continuance intention and also providing implications for practitioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As access to networked digital communities increases, a growing number of teens participate in digital communities by creating and sharing a variety of content. The affordances of social media-ease of use, ubiquitous access, and communal nature-have made creating and sharing content an appealing process for teens. Teens primarily learn the practices of encountering and using information through social interaction and participation within digital communities. This article adopts the position that information literacy is the experience of using information to learn. It reports on an investigation into teens' experiences in the United States, as they use information to learn how to create content and participate within the context of social media. Teens that participate in sharing art on sites such as DeviantArt, website creation, blogging, and/or posing edited videos via YouTube and Vimeo, were interviewed. The interviews explored teens' information experiences within particular social and digital contexts. Teens discussed the information they used, how information was gathered and accessed, and explored the process of using that information to participate in the communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article explores the Brazilian cultural practices of illegal downloading of American television programs. Through research on television show forums, fandom websites, fan communities in the social networking website Orkut, the networks' homepages and literature review, piracy is shown to be related to cultural practices and an inadequate television broadcasting system. It seems Brazilian fans persist in breaking the law when downloading television shows from unauthorised sources, regardless of the severe legal penalties for transgressors. They use a popular "problem-solving strategy" (Duarte 2006) called jeitinho brasileiro to respond to the delay or unavailability of U.S. programming on Brazilian cable and free to air television. The jeitinho brasileiro is exemplified by the fans having organised systems of file sharing of the episodes in Orkut fan communities. The study looks at a group of fans named 'legenders' who produce subtitles for the downloaded shows as a hobby, despite the Brazilian legislation on intellectual property protection. Furthermore, the article explains why Brazilians do not respect the law as a result of cultural, economic and political contexts. It concludes with the idea that the broadcasting industry must update and adapt its television programming distribution system taking into account the particular cultural situation of each country, in particular Brazil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study looks at student Facebook groups supporting the 2008 presidential candidates, John McCain and Barack Obama, from largest land-grant universities in seven battleground states. The findings of a content analysis of wall posts show that students are using Facebook to facilitate dialog and civic political involvement. In opposition to pro-McCain groups, pro-Obama groups have wider time frame coverage and demonstrate substantively higher site activity. Political discussions related to the political civic process, policy issues, campaign information, candidate issues, and acquisition of campaign products dominate across groups and election seasons. An examination of the content of wall posts based on the four categories of the Michigan Model of voting behavior (partisanship, group affiliation, candidate image, and political/campaign issues) reveals that in the primary season, pro-Obama groups focus mostly on short-term topics (candidate image and campaign issues), whereas pro-McCain groups focus mostly on long-term topics (partisanship and group affiliation). The overall findings of this study suggest that youth online communities actively follow campaigns and post comments that foster the political dialog and civic engagement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Considerable research over the years has been devoted to ascertaining the impact of media use on political cynicism. The impact of the Internet has been difficult to assess because it is not a single monolithic medium. For example, the 2008 presidential campaign was the first presidential campaign in which popular social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and YouTube were widely available to voters. Therefore, the campaign offered the first opportunity to explore the influence of these social media on political cynicism. In this study, we examined whether the use of such social media influenced political cynicism. We also considered the influence of user background characteristics (e.g., self-efficacy, locus of control, political orientation, demographics, and influence of family and friends), motives for using social media for political information, and users' elaboration on political content. Several individual differences were stronger predictors of political cynicism than was social media use. In fact, social networking use was a negative predictor of political cynicism. Results supported uses and gratifications' notions that the influence of social media on political cynicism is more attributable to user background and media-use differences than to sheer use of these popular sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a study which aims to investigate the users' underlying motivations for engaging in social networking through online social networking services (SNS) between the U.S. and South Korean users. The method used in the study was a survey of SNS users in the U.S. and Korea to determine the key differences between the two countries. The results of the study illustrate the significance of both extrinsic and intrinsic motivation of the surveyed users in providing useful implications for theory and practice.

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to present findings of an electronic survey to determine the extent of use of social software programs. Design/methodology/approach - The study was conducted to discover the extent to which students use social software programs, namely Facebook, MySpace, Instant Messaging and Second Life, and to determine their level of desire for having a librarian or library presence within those settings. A web survey was developed and distributed using convenience sampling. The survey was distributed to students at two college campuses located in the state of Colorado in the USA. Findings - The majority of respondents use social software programs, but are apathetic about using these programs for library questions or research. Research limitations/implications - This research has several limitations to its findings: limited response rate, ambiguous phrasing of survey questions and geographic limitations all affect the results. Practical implications - Owing to constraints on librarian time and resources, involvement in social software programs should be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Originality/value - Social software programs are discussed in library literature, but few research projects have been undertaken to determine patron expectations for librarian involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents communication research on political activity by youth and young adults in the U.S. The declining level of political participation among U.S. youth and young adults is acknowledged. The use of online social networks by the presidential candidates in the 2008 election is considered. Interaction by youth and young adult with the presence maintained by presidential candidates on the online social network Facebook, operated by the Internet industry firm of the same name, is considered. It was found that young people who engaged with the Facebook pages of the candidates, particularly that of Barack Obama, were engaged in genuine political communication with other young people.

Since its inception, the Internet has been eyed with both hope and caution by traditional media outlets. For many years, radio looked to the Internet (Web 1.0) to extend their brand and increase awareness for their stations. Enter Facebook (Web 2.0), with its interactive ability to add friends and build an online community. How are radio stations using social media at this early point in the relationship? The results and the strategy to best build the radio/Facebook relationship are not uniform and the jury is still out on exactly how social media can benefit a station's bottom line. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]