Before the rise of the online communication sites we collectively refer to as social media, there was a clearly defined line draw between one’s personal and professional life. Now, with its hundreds of platforms and billions of active users, social media has blurred this line. In fact, two in five companies report regularly using social networks in their hiring processes, and many employers are now being encouraged to also use social to monitor their employees. As such, it is imperative to think critically before posting.
A post to social is a post to the world.
Social media users who trust that privacy settings will save them from the repercussions of posting without first taking the time to stop and think are doing themselves a great disservice. Many people underestimate the importance of sound decision-making in choosing what to and not to post to social. Still, a private profile will not prevent those who can see it from distributing its content to others.
A post to social is a post to the world, today and forever.
Neglecting one’s critical thinking skills when posting to social can have lifelong consequences. The second an item is published to social, it should be considered eternally recoverable, because it is. A post from years ago can be easily retrieved by a search engine. Even deleting a post does not guarantee it has not already been saved elsewhere.
In short, due to social media’s large and growing presence, the separation between one’s personal and professional life has more or less ceased to exist. It is time to accept this as true and act accordingly. In other words, THINK before you post; a post to social is a post to the world.
About the Author: Melanie Welsh is a Marketing Intern at Pearson TalentLens. She has an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Administration and is currently working on a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration and Marketing at Delaware Valley College. Connect with her on LinkedIn to learn more about her experience and goals.
