Internet Research Synthesis Essay

The internet still remains in it’s infancy. With it’s limitation of possibilities drifting further and further from the grasp of it’s creators every day, it becomes hard to decide how such a vast public domain should be regimented. The difficulty with effectively approaching such a matter lies in the fact of the internet’s availability to almost every living soul throughout the modern world. Like it or not, everyone that has internet access can obtain a good look into the private lives of others with relative ease by means of simple search engines or absentminded social media skimming. A list of those on the look-out might just surprise you. With potential romantic suitors as well employers taking a look at these publicly displayed pages, collegiate adolescents might be shocked to hear that one in ten college admissions officers are also a part of this attentive crowd (Source A). This behavior by officers is warranted because this mode of research is highly effective, provides an inward and
personal scope on their applicant, and allows those in charge to act in their best interest as they choose suitable representation of their establishment. Entering a name into a search engine can produce millions of results, and some of those links might contain information that’s best left in the depths of the web.
This ready availability on any given individual might come across as alarming to some, but few would dispute how helpful the role of the internet has been in deciding who makes the cut or not. Colleges are certainly making the most of this social media epidemic, and make quick use of whatever information they can dig up. Thirty-eight percent of admissions officers that visited student pages determined that the recovered information had a negative impact on the student’s evaluation, and only twenty-five percent claimed it to have a positive effect on the applicant’s evaluation status (Source C). Statistics like that might not leave up-and-coming college applicants with a warm and fuzzy feeling, but proactive screening is only to protect the institutions from “potential embarrassment” in the long run (Source
C). Besides meeting a person face to face, exploring someone’s personal web page or social media profile can provide the most unabridged reflection of who that person is. Designed by media technicians to be fully customizable, a social networking page can be riddled with context clues on the behavior and beliefs of an individual. School officers are generally looking for content that may be considered provocative, hateful or discriminatory by others; content as such could hint to underlying issues and ideologies that can generate waves of problems in a campus setting. Self-incriminating content posted in a public domain is also something officers keep an eye out for, as this reflects an overall lack of common sense (Source A). How one represents himself for the whole world to see says a lot about that person, and those in charge take full liberty in recognizing and judging these representations. Posted pictures and statuses are all fragments of ongoing thoughts that one has, or activities they’ve completed; therefore, these tidbits of information are not to be taken lightly as they amount to so much more in the big picture and ultimately comprise who that person is. Those in command of judgement may find themselves asking, does the way this individual represent himself reflect the mission and integrity of this establishment? The answer to that question could be life-changing for some.
Even meeting someone in person can leave you guessing as to how you should perceive them, but looking at only what they want you to see can be a deceptive game that admissions officers and employers are gambling in. Although one’s social networking profile provides insight on a potential interest like no other can, it’s hard to take in all the information from someone’s personal realms and not feel the slightest tinge of disagreement as those numerous statuses are combed through. A common concern amongst individuals in opposition to the allotment of screenings of personal profiles is one that argues the strong probability of discrimination against applicants through the acquiring of more personal insight on an individual (Source F). However, employers and officers are expected to conduct their searches in a similar [professional] manner to how a job interview would be carried out. These personal-level screenings are intended to weed out the bad-eggs and troublemakers, not to pinpoint and segregate diverse people that are interested in the advancement of themselves and the institution they’re yearning to represent.
The recent behavior by admissions officers and employers is warranted because this mode of research is highly effective, provides an inward and personal scope on their applicant and allows those in charge to act in their best interest as they choose suitable representation of their establishment. In a day in age where anything is possible, it’s good to see things from different angles before settling on a decision, and this includes choosing a team.