The (ridiculous?) power of Facebook
First of all, can you believe Thanksgiving is tomorrow? It feels like just yesterday I was looking for friends at the Chicago Marathon. The holiday really snuck up on me – probably because we aren’t doing much of anything tomorrow! Well, we’re running a 5K, maybe volunteering to box canned goods (if we aren’t all sweaty), checking in on Diane’s babies (cats) and picking up my sister at the O’Hare (returning from Cancun), but we’re not actually having the big meal until Friday, when we can celebrate with my sister and her friend.
What are your Thanksgiving plans? Traveling to see family/friends? Hosting? Sleeping in and lazing around all day?
On to Facebook. I’m sure you heard the story about the Canadian woman who says she lost her benefits (she was on long-term leave for depression) after her insurance agency found photos of her having fun on Facebook (story here).
According to the woman, Nathalie Blanchard, her insurance agent found photos on Facebook of her on holiday, at Chippendales, and at a birthday party, and that was evidence that she was well enough to go back to work. They cut off her sick-leave benefits this fall.
Blanchard says her doctor recommended she go on holiday to cheer up, and that she went when she was feeling particularly low.
The insurance agent said they would never deny a claim based on a website like Facebook. Blanchard’s case is going before the Quebec Superior Court next month.
What is your opinion on this story?
A few thoughts come to my mind. My cynical side can definitely imagine someone milking sick-leave benefits for all they are worth. Some people are just lazy and abusive of privileges like that – you know it.
On the other hand, I’ve been up and down in moods myself, and I know that going on a holiday is a good change of pace and way to cheer myself up.
Either way, it’s strange to think that photos you publish online could have this power. Of course, the insurance agent is saying they didn’t base it on that, and we can’t really know, but we do know that online photos have prevented people from getting jobs (and maybe dates, ha ha). Stories like this always cause me to stop and think about my internet persona. Right now, I don’t think I put anything risky or harmful (to my image) out there, but you never know how things can be interpreted!
Themocracy
YAY for Thanksgiving!!!! I hope you, Steven, Data, your sister, and her friend all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!! :o)
Facebook is too, um, social (maybe because all the “friends” I had in high school friended me and I was like, hello? you didn’t talk to me then, why do you want to be my friend now?? Good thing I can let things go!!)
Anyways, here is to hoping you (and the family) have a fabulous Thanskgiving!!!!
=^..^=
.-= Author’s last blog post… Dreams =-.
Have fun at your run tomorrow! We’ll be in the car driving to my parents’ and then spending the weekend with them. Jason has to work on Friday though (LAME) so he’s going to “commute” the 2 hours so I don’t have to cut my weekend with my family short. He’s the best!
Facebook is kind of scary. I try to lock it down as much as possible in addition to limiting the photos I put up there. I think business are going to keep finding more and more ways to use it for their purposes. Heck, I think courts in Australia found that using a Facebook message counts as serving someone a legal document if that’s the only way to locate them!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Lincolnwood Turkey Trot 10K Race Report =-.
Wow–that Facebook story is unbelievable! Like you, I can’t deny that I for at least a moment thought , “Well, she’s probably milking it.” On the other hand, I have battled both moderate and severe depression and could have, at times, put on a happy face for the camera…at least during the moderate depression. On Facebook, I usually only allow pictures to be viewable by friends.
Thanks for the comments on my girls! As far as egg, I usually just use the Ener-G that I bought when I first made the switch. I can’t believe I’ve never tried flax for it. And of course I would love that recipe of yours! 🙂
I hope you have a wonderful 5k tomorrow and a great Thanksgiving dinner on Friday!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Thanskgiving Plans =-.
First, you should always have your Facebook to private so only your friends can see your pictures so that your insurance agent CAN’T.
Second, we are eating at my sister’s (in town) and if I can drag my booty out of bed at 7 we will be doing a 5K, or maybe I will just do my own at 8.
Happy Thanksgiving!!!
.-= Author’s last blog post… Thanksgiving Eve is in the books =-.
Wow, that’s crazy, but does not at all surprise me. a) it’s an insurance company, which unfortunately in this country are notorious for denying benefits where-ever they can, and b) like you said, FB has even resulted in missed job opportunities, issues with schools, etc. I’m honestly surprised there are still people out there with public profiles!
Anyway, Happy Thanksgiving!
.-= Author’s last blog post… My Friends =-.
It’s a weird thing, if you do something to disprove something else in your life on-line. I could see the insurance company making a case.
In a blog post vaguely discussing some medical tests
http://GarySaid.com/my-medical-tests/
I ended the post with the following paragraph –
“Disclaimer: I’m sure at some point in the future insurance companies will be googling for pre-existing conditions on the ‘net. So I almost didn’t write this post. For the future googlers, to set the record straight, I confess that my problem is there is a banana growing out of my forehead, so if you are looking to insure me in the future and there is no banana that means I’m cured(!) and there is nothing preexisting…”
Silly yes, but why not? Actually, once in a while some posts are about things that took place ages ago so it’d be hard for someone to match them up. And there is nothing to say that the things people blog are even true.
I’m sure future employers Google me but I’d have to assume they’d find so many good or neutral things about me they might not even find anything bad (if there is anything bad). But then again it might explain my job search problems 🙂
.-= Author’s last blog post… CoPilot Live GPS iPhone app for North America – Review =-.