Facebook is a danger zone

27 November 2012 - 02:08 By Reuters
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Image: AFP PHOTO / Karen BLEIER

Posting pictures of yourself plastered at a party and talking trash online with your Facebook friends may be more stress than it is worth now that your boss and mum want to see it all.

A survey from Edinburgh Business School released yesterday showed Facebook users are anxious that all those self-published sins may be coming home to roost with more than half of employers claiming to have used Facebook to weed out job candidates.

"Facebook used to be like a great party for all your friends where you can dance, drink and flirt," said Ben Marder, author of the report and fellow in marketing at the Business School.

"But now with your mum, dad and boss there, the party becomes an anxious event full of potential social landmines."

Facebook has settings to control the information seen by different types of friends, but only one-third use them, the report said.

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