Social Media: Proceeded with Caution

Vanessa J. Londono is a student at Longwood University, in Farmville, VA; majoring in psychology, and minoring in Spanish.

UPDATED July, 19, 2018, 11:06 AM

Social media is a gate that has opened the doors to your personal life, allowing anyone and everyone to see what you are up to, with little to no privacy. Technology has made the use of social media much easier, allowing users to update and share on the go via smartphones. Nowadays, people have become obsessed with updating and sharing their thoughts, pictures, videos and even locations with their “followers” due to the easy access they have with their smartphones. When users post on social media they do it with the intention of only their followers being able to view what they’ve posted. The privacy settings on social media accounts lead you to believe that only your followers are seeing what you post. This is a huge misconception, and thinking your account is completely private is what leads users to post unnecessary or careless things online which may come with some consequences. There have been a few situations where employees had made negative remarks about their boss, coworkers or even the company they work for, thinking that only their followers were able to see it. However, like most users, they did not realize that they are not only allowing their followers to see their posts but anyone who has access to the internet to see it as well. The big question following this is since there is little to no privacy online, should your posts on social media cost you your job?

Like anything you do in life, think before you act, to avoid any public humiliation or conflict. It is important to always be respectful to everyone, especially those you work for. With that being said, proceed with caution when posting anything on social media, because anyone can see it, including employers who might reconsider your position based on a careless post you might’ve made on social media.

So often people tend to not realize what they are posting online, they are so caught up in the online world. Many posts are done in the spur of the moment, especially tweets. There’s not much thought behind tweets, just whatever comes to mind it seems. Whether it be about how great you are feeling one day after some time with your family to a rant about how much you dislike the company you work for because you don’t agree with your boss. Twitter seems to have become an open dairy for many users, allowing them to express their individual thoughts and emotions, thinking that not everyone has access to it. Next time you think about posting online, sit down and really think about it and what you are trying to say and the way it might come across to anyone reading it. Who might be viewing your profile? Could it be your parents? Maybeco-workerss? Better yet, your BOSS?!

Many people believe in their privacy online, but the truth is there is no privacy when it comes to the internet. Access is granted to all. People will argue that, what they post on their social media accounts is their business, and their personal life in which work shouldn’t get involved. The only way work won’t get involved in your personal life is if you maintain a clean slate. What it all really comes down to is how you present yourself, because you are a representation of your work, as well as the company or the individual you work for. Therefore it’s all about keeping a professional appearance online and offline.

Think about it, having a professional appearance at all times is very important, especially when looking for a job. When applying for jobs, background checks are usually done to assure the employee has no criminal record. Now not only are employers checking for criminal records, but for an individual’s online appearance. It is important to employers, that their employees are a good representation of their company. To be a good representation of the company you work for it is important that whatever is posted online is appropriate, meaning you have considered all the possibilities, also there are no negative remarks made about the company you work for, nor any other company for that matter. To avoid conflict between employees and employers, there should be a huge emphasis on this topic before giving/accepting a job. It should be made clear to the employees that posts online could possibly affect their position if it negatively reflects onto the company.

To ensure that employees appear as professional as possible online, employers need to set limits and make sure that their employees understand the terms they are working under. Also to ensure employees do not get caught by surprise, employers should set aside any thing that could trigger any negative situation. Seeing that all social media accounts are open to for the public to see, users should place more thought about each post. Posts online could cost you your joband chances are they will. Considering the world we live in now that revolves around social media, it is important to be very cautious of your posts online, and if you aren’t willing to do that then it’s probably best if you don’t post at all just to be safe. When and if posting consider questions like; would I regret this later? Always think about what’s instore for your future, because whatever is done now will have an impact on your future. A key reminder to all social media users, think before you act. Anything you post online is open for anyone to see and it could come back to haunt you.

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https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2013/04/02/should-social-media-activity-cost-you-your-job