The advent of new forms of communication technology and associated social media have benefited organizations and their employees in many ways, but they have also led to an assortment of problems and conflicts. Several themes are apparent in the scenarios presented in this exercise. For one thing, contemporary communication media have blurred the distinction between the work and non-work domains. Second, the scenarios suggest communication contradictions—Facebook postings could be grounds for firing, but the medium can also facilitate work related communication. Third, much contemporary communication occurs in a context in which one is not sure just who the receiver might be. The exercise can be conducted in several ways: Students can independently prepare their reflections on the scenarios for class discussion. Alternatively, learning teams can discuss one or more scenarios and report their reflections to the class. Finally, the instructor might organize a debate around each scenario. In any case, use your imagination when reflecting on the scenarios. How would you feel if you were an employee in the scenario? How would you feel if you were a manager?

PhoneDog, a web-based company that provides news, reviews, and advice concerning mobile phones and service providers, sued a former employee for taking his 17 000 Twitter followers with him when he changed jobs. The company contended that the followers comprised a customer database and that they had invested substantial resources to leverage social media to enhance awareness of their brand. Hence, the list was their “property.” Is this list of followers some proprietary trade secret, or is it a list of people with too much time on their hands? And who “owns” it?