22 October 2019
Devon Williams
I spend an average of seven hours on my phone a day, and a majority of that time is spent on Instagram. In the midst of the scrolling through Instagram stories, there was an article that talked about a job applicant getting rejected due to her posting a bikini picture on her Instagram. The company even took it as far to post the applicants post on their own account to warn other job seeking individuals about unprofessional social media posts.
The marketing company Kickass Masterminds had uploaded a story with the caption: “PSA (because I know some of you applicants are looking at this): do not share your social media with a potential employer if this is the kind of content on it. Go on with your bad self and do whatever in private. But this is not doing you any favors in finding a professional job.”
I continued to read through this article and I was shocked that the company threw such a direct punch at the job applicant. It made me think about the impact of how social media has completely altered the way society functions.
There are so many ways that social media can affect other aspects of your life. I think of social media as being a possible first impression to whoever may be interested in you, whether it is it for relationship, friendship or professional impressions.
I personally think that social media has an immense influence on what we think of others and how we assume other individuals live their lives, when in reality, that may not be a factual assumption about that person. The most important thing I have to remember when I scroll through social media is that most people use it as a highlight reel and only place the best parts of their life there.
Along with having social media having such a presence in our lives, it also has become an important tool for job applicants. Social media is a source for companies to use for an inside look at their potential job applicants.
I think social media should be used as output of creativity. Clothes and tattoos are forms of expression but are not brought to the workplace. This makes me wonder why social media must be brought into the professional setting, why it is that what you may post could affect your income.
Many may disagree and say that as a professional adult, your social media should reflect that, and you do not have to post every time you go out or every bikini picture you take. Some may suggest that you just make your accounts private, even there are ways around a private social media account.
I disagree: social media should be used just like any other creative outlet and should allow individuals a place to think and post freely.
Social media should not be brought into the professional workplace and it should stop having such an effect on our lives. So much of my time is spent on my phone and on social media, constantly scrolling through everyone else’s lives. At the end of the day, social media does not translate who people truthfully are and your posts or the amount of likes you get should not translate to your personal life.