Employers can learn a great deal about job applicants and employees from social media, but what they can and should do with that information is far less clear. Should employers proactively review publicly available social media accounts before making a hiring decision? Could doing so identify potential issues before an offer is made or publicly announced? Or does routinely searching applicants’ personal online activity create more legal and practical risks than benefits?
A recent incident involving the long-running Broadway musical Hadestown illustrates the issue. On July 29, 2026, the producers of Hadestown announced that actor Geno Segers would join the musical’s new principal cast beginning September 1, 2026. Days later, clips from videos on Segers’s YouTube page resurfaced online, including comments concerning transgender rights and pronoun usage, prompting widespread criticism from theater fans. The producers subsequently announced that they and Segers had “mutually agreed” that he would no longer join the production.
The episode illustrates both the potential value and the risks of pre-hire social media screening. A review may identify public statements or conduct that could create workplace, client, or reputational concerns before a hiring decision becomes public. But there is no one-size-fits-all approach. Whether screening makes sense depends on the employer, its industry, and the position involved.
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