The world of social media is a complex one. Outlets such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and others allow individuals to promote and distribute information about themselves or others at any moment in time to a global audience. With such an amazing amount of communication power, it is important that each social media user exercises self-control in their interactions. However, many times users take the liberty to abuse their freedom of speech.
With the drop of a name or a misplaced quote, the reputation of the media poster, or the individual who was posted about, could be ruined. In this age, social media is not only used as a way to interact with friends and family but it is reviewed by employers, government officials and other figures of authority who have the power to dictate the future of an individual’s success. While this immediate and convenient form of evaluating one’s person seems like it may be too harsh or inaccurate, this is what our age is growing accustomed to. Social media is often the first avenue used for researching clients, employees and acquaintances.
Put in this light, one can see the necessity of exercising their freedom within the social media world in an ethical and respectful manner. How one conveys a message will determine how they will be viewed or how the subject of their message may be viewed. This personal responsibility lies with each social media user. While one cannot control the environment around him, he can influence how others perceive him by maintaining a respectful and accurate social media profile.
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteIn my posts, I also commented on how employers use social media to get a ‘first impression’ of potential employees. I took a social media class in my Undergraduate studies and I learned a lot. One of my assignments was to view my Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. from the perspective of my grandmother. I found myself deleting several pictures and posts that my friends had tagged me in. Why had I never taken this approach before? After all, social media sites are open for the public to see. My Facebook is now a more “true” depiction of me and how I want to be viewed.
Hi Becky,
ReplyDeleteWhile reading your post, there was one question that I kept coming back to. The question is how aware are people that the information that they post on social media sites can be seen by others such as future employers (Baran, 2014)? Before deciding on studying communication I studied to be a teacher for a few years, and during that time, I was instructed repeatedly how important it was to not even be Facebook friends with people that had questionable material on their profile because that could be linked to me in some way (Baran, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). I am very careful about what I post on Facebook because I do not want to regret what I have posted at a later date, however, so many people are either not aware of that or do not care (Baran, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). With the new age of social media, I think that it is imperative that the younger generation learns how important it is for them to be responsible when posting on the Internet in any way, and for them to learn how far what they post can spread and how long it can stay on the Internet (Baran, 2014; Kovach & Rosenstiel, 2010). Do you agree? If so, how would you go about doing that?
Reference:
Baran, S. J. (2014). Introduction to mass communication: Media literacy and culture. (8th ed.) New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Kovach, B. & Rosenstiel, T. (2010). Blur: How to know what’s true in the age of information overload. New York: Bloomsbury, USA.
Rebecca,
ReplyDeleteYou are completely right about the world of social media being a complex one. Just as a previous responder commented, employers are able to look at the content that potential employees post in order to gain perspective on that person. For someone who doesn’t post a lot of content publicly, it seems hard to believe that an employer can gain perspective through this but the emerging software and filter programs for Human Resources departments to use prove otherwise. When I reflect on this further, I think about all of the information that can be gleaned during a quick scan to a personal page. There is the obvious information like demographic data, education background, friends and social interests but there is also qualitative information that can be gathered such as political beliefs, personality traits, and the value placed on relationships. One of the biggest things that I notice when engaged in social media use is the way people respect others when posting online content. When people are posting messages using their own personal pages I think it can be telling because there is no editor to approve or sanitize a message. This makes it more personal and direct but there can be some controversy because of incorrect or inaccurate information. You are right; it is ultimately a social media user’s responsibility to review content and verify all information. This idea is completely different than in the 20th century when the accountability rested solely with the media to perform this task. As we begin to hold ourselves to higher standards, I am hopeful that the media will too.
Hi Becky-
ReplyDeleteYou make a great point that social media is a powerful tool, and with that power comes responsibility. I think the digital natives (Baran, 2014) of our society, those that have never lived in a world without technology based communication, take for granted their active role in the information creation and sharing process through social media. Some people try to separate their online activity from their offline lives, but, as you mentioned, social media is becoming the first place employers look to evaluate potential candidates. It is difficult to change this laid back attitude toward technology based communication outlets when they are so accessible in today’s world, but users should treat it in the same way that would treat their real life communications, which in theory should be truthful and ethical.
Best,
Ashley
The comments regarding employers snooping on employees' or potential employees' social media profiles is right on. What you decide to allow on those sites represents you to them. It's unfortunate that they feel they have to stoop to that level to get an accurate picture of an individual, but it's free information, why wouldn't they check it out? In the military, we sometimes have a problem with service members posting irresponsible or disrespectful photos or comments to their social media profiles. It has been cause for severe reprimand and in some cases, separation from service for their behavior. Our military bosses can see what we post on our Facebook pages, and so can the watching American public, who place their trust in us. A good example is the recent posting on Instagram by Wisconsin National Guardsmen serving in an honor guard detail, in which they commented how miserable it was to have to perform a funeral in the cold and then posted a photo acting like a bunch of clowns next to a draped casket with the caption, "We put the fun in funeral." (http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/18/us/wisconsin-national-guard-photos/) It got them suspended, while they felt the disappointment of a nation. I don't know how they ever thought it would be okay for the world to see that, or how they even had those attitudes to begin with. But now that everyone has seen it, they will always carry that shame wherever they go.
ReplyDeleteStucker, Matthew & Ford, Dana. (Feb. 19, 2014). Two Wisconsin Guard members suspended from funeral detail over Instagram pics. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/02/18/us/wisconsin-national-guard-photos/.
You brought up a good point that users of social media should be conscious about what they're posting because at some point a future employer may go searching their profiles. I was warned about this a long time ago and I still keep it in mind. I am also always aware of anything I am tagged in to make sure it's not outrageous. The rule of thumb I generally follow is "how would my grandfather feel about this?" I’m concerned about the up and coming generation of social media users. The fact that they are growing up with social media seems to desensitize them to what a post could mean to them in the future.
ReplyDeleteHi Becky,
ReplyDeleteYou brought up an amazing point in stating that we must be careful what we post online because others may see it down the road. Personally, I was very conscious of this in college and adjusted my privacy settings accordingly. Most of the time what I find is the inappropriate posts often come from others tagging the individual in a post or picture without the person's approval.
I feel as though you are indeed right that when social media is used appropriately it can be an extremely powerful tool. Often times people misuse social media, and believe everything they read.