Linchi Kwok, Ph.D.

It is not new to hear people got fired because of their updates on social networking sites . In one extreme case, a man got fired even for his random thoughts posted on Facebook . So, is it legal for companies to fire employees because of their updates on social media sites ? Employees have the rights to discuss face-to-face on “protected concerted activity” as outlined by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). For example, employees can talk about their wages and work conditions with co-workers. According to The Lodging Magazine (2013), the answer to whether employees have the rights to talk about work or their boss on social media sites depends on whether the employee’s update is considered as protected concerted activity. The article in The Lodging Magazine reported two cases with the published decisions from NLRB. One case involves in an employee’s sarcastic comments about the employer. This employee is not protected because NLRB believes that the comments were made “...

Money cannot buy us true friendship in the real life, but can we buy fans or followers on social networking sites? Absolutely, and the price might be cheaper than expected.     Eric Steuer reported the following price tags in Wired Magazine: Facebook: 500 likes for $30 or 20,000 for $699 on Socialyup.com Twitter: 1,000 followers for $10 or 1,000,000+ for $1,750 on FanMeNow.com Pinterest: 100 followers for $15 or 5,000 for $95 on Pinfol.com YouTube: 30,000 views for $150 or 1,000,000+ for $3,100 on 500views.com I can certainly afford to pay $30 to make my Facebook page look better, but if I rarely engage the Facebook users on my page, how likely can I build a meaningful relationship with them? Without a meaningful relationship, can I create value for me and the Facebook users on my page? Probably not. That’s why I argued earlier that only the relationship built on engaging conversations can create value . Likewise, even though companies can buy thousands ...

“Yes, yes, I know. I should have stopped, but please just let me finish posting this update …” God knows how difficult it becomes these days to get people’s attention away from Facebook or just any social media platforms. People are tempted to check news feeds and updates.   Let me ask you another question: When was the last time you checked your Facebook? Was it just a minute ago before you put down your cell phone? Or right in this moment while you are trying to share my discussion on Facebook? For a long time, Facebook has become the most visited website in the U.S. ( 3 rd place in the world ) and the website on which Americans spend the most time . There must be a good reason why people can’t have enough with Facebook. According to recent report on Monitor on Psychology: A Publication of The American Psychological Association, Facebook indeed has the “magic” to satisfy people’s need for connectedness and self-promotion, boost people’s self-esteem, and help people ...