Beth, a social work supervisor, shared that many social workers employed by her agency communicate with each other through Facebook. Several of the social workers had posted "mean-spirited" and "derogatory" comments about other agency workers, under the apparent assumption that their privacy settings on the networking site would prevent general access to their comments. They did not realize that a couple of the participants had not set their privacy settings properly and that several of their unprofessional comments are now circulating among other agency workers.

A social worker, Elena, raised yet another ethical issue of a similar nature. She had created a Facebook page a few years earlier and now realizes that she did not fully understand how to control her privacy settings. Elena explained that for nearly two years, she has been provided counselling services to a client, Carl, who struggles with anxiety and borderline personality disorder. Carl reportedly became obsessed with Elena and was determined to find out information about her personal life. He searched for Elena on Facebook and found her site. Unbeknownst to her, Carl was able to view a number of Elena's personal photos on the site and other personal posts. Carl left disturbing voicemail messages for Elena that made explicit references to information on the Facebook page. Elena expressed that she felt as if this electronic incursion had severely compromised her clinical relationship with Carl.

• What are relevant ethical concepts involved in social workers' use of social networking sites?
• State your personal opinion on social media sites.
• Suggest ways to engage in social networking yet steer clear of ethical issues.