Publication Date

5-2015

Advisor(s) - Committee Chair

Amber N. Schroeder (Director), Elizabeth L. Shoenfelt, Reagan D. Brown

Degree Program

Department of Psychological Sciences

Degree Type

Master of Science

Abstract

This study examined federal court cases related to the use of social media websites (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, LinkedIn) in various employment practices (e.g., selection, promotion, employee monitoring, layoffs). Court cases were identified using various online databases in an attempt to create an exhaustive list of cases to be used to better understand the role that social media has played in organizational settings and the legal implications of its use. The results of this study show that there were a significant number of cases involving termination and Facebook, and organizations prevailed in court significantly more than the defendant did. The results of this study provide organizations, employees, and applicants with a better understanding of how organizational social media use has been perceived in the court of law, thereby allowing people and employers to make better decisions regarding social media use.

Disciplines

Community Psychology | Industrial and Organizational Psychology | Social Media

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