The Productive Pessimist

  Is it unprofessional to bring an iced coffee to a job interview, or are people who object just racist, ableist, and not engaged enough in revolutionary praxis? How do you handle rejecting candidates for opinions and attitudes uncovered during a social media background search? Is a 45minute vibe check where all parties are uncomfortable and awkwardly aware that bias is going to be operating, regardless of how frequently and loudly insistence is made that it isn't, the best way to choose your next high performer, or even your next mediocre-keeps-the-lights-on-and-customers-satisfied hire? Social media is the devil's current preferred mode of transport, especially where employability and recruitment are concerned.   While it would be a very control-focused employer indeed who thought it appropriate to stalk not just current employees, but potential  employees who have merely dared to send in applications for advertised vacant positions, and listen in to their conversa...

  For the youngest members of the workforce, the idea that the internet could 'end' is an impossible consideration - like trying to imagine the life your family might be living if you'd never come along. For the oldest members of the workforce, there may be a bit of nostalgia for "the way things used to be", tempered with an acknowledgement, perhaps grudging, that the internet has made possible things that couldn't even be imagined when they first started their careers. For the mid-career Millennials, the idea that the internet might stop existing is an intriguing proposition, which comes presented with all sides of the possibility clearly visible. The good, the bad, the ugly and sublime. So, what suggests we might be entering 'The End of the Internet'? Firstly, simple timing.  It's been over 40yrs since the internet was first developed, in its first iteration (January 1st 1983). It's been just over 25yrs since the first social media platform l...