Workplace Consequences of Electronic Exhibitionism and Voyeurism
Technology and Society Magazine, Vol. 30, No. 3, Fall 2011
9 Pages Posted: 18 Dec 2009 Last revised: 28 Feb 2014
Date Written: September 19, 2011
Abstract
The popularity of email, blogging and social networking raises important issues for employers, employees and labor unions. This article explores contemporary workplace issues resulting from the related social phenomena of electronic exhibitionism and voyeurism. It begins with a discussion of the international social phenomenon of individuals electronically distributing their personal thoughts, opinions, and activities to a potential worldwide audience while at the same time retaining a subjective sense of privacy. The temptation toward such exhibitionism has been substantially enhanced by the advent of Web 2.0. The article then turns to the legal implications of electronic voyeurism including employer surveillance of employee workplace computer use and employee off-duty blogs and social networking pages. It also examines the issues associated with employers and recruiters conducting internet searches for information about job applicants. In the conclusion, the article discusses various means for responding to the workplace issues resulting from electronic exhibitionism and voyeurism on and off the job.
Keywords: workplace, internet, social networking, exhibitionism, voyeurism
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