Since social media became a vital part of our lives, I realized that it has influenced so many things across the globe. I believe it's inevitable despite our different interests in it because many people feel it's the best of places to share their thoughts, ideas, and even build connections. The fact that it can even be monetized has taken things to a whole new level, and it makes me smile when I see our elderly ones trying to get attention in the social space.
Before now, social media was a place for basically fun, but somehow, some level of seriousness got attached, and a whole lot of things changed. Back then, we just watched videos, played online games, and got involved with entertainment and chatting, but social media does a lot more than that now.
I have seen how social media helped build brands and push career-oriented people into the limelight, but I never thought it could ruin someone's career in the blink of an eye. Some years ago, a video went viral in my country, and I felt down after watching.
According to the lady, her friends drugged her drink during a birthday celebration, and she went wild after drinking. She started misbehaving due to the influence of the substance and somehow, she ended up almost naked. This lady eventually came back to her senses after some hours only to find her videos everywhere.
It came as a shock to her, and that was the beginning of her nightmare. She lost her job, and the HR excuse was about protecting the company's image.
From the employees point of view, that was a cruel decision from the company. After all, she didn't take the drug intentionally and shouldn't be kicked out just like that. Honestly, that doesn't sound like a fair decision because according to people, she is one of the best the company has got, but from the employer's desk, we do not know what's at stake with keeping the lady at work.
Many of us will feel like this is bad just because we are employees, but the moment the table turns, we will understand how that lady's situation can ruin the company's reputation.
Several times we have seen how big brands terminate contracts with artists after doing something silly in the social space, so it tells us how important it is to keep our heads straight, whether online or offline, because we don't know how our actions in the social space will affect us in reality.
I always warn people about posting some kind of stuff not because of today, and it's always like I don't know what's in vogue. Some things are just too personal and should be confidential at different levels. Imagine someone flooded his profile with pictures of himself drinking alcohol excessively. I know that doesn't determine his level of professionalism, but what impression are you giving to people about yourself?
No one is saying you shouldn't have fun, but you can keep that life away from social media because no one really has to know and whether the company asks for your social handles or not, they can always find them somehow.
It's even funny how some people ruin their careers with a fake lifestyle, all because they want to trend. Remember I said that our social media lifestyle doesn't judge our level of professionalism, but it's one of those things it has successfully influenced.
As it stands, if any employer needs my social handles, I wouldn't hesitate to give them because I have nothing to hide. I can choose to form the tough guy and keep my social life private at the detriment of my career, but my body will tell me when sapa hits me badly.
What Am I Driving At?
An employer asking for your social handles before giving you a job is for the sake of their company reputation, and if you truly want such a job, you don't have a choice but to follow the company's protocol.
You can choose not to give out your social handles; the choice is yours, and that's an opportunity for you to think outside the box and start something of your own, but remember that investors and clients will also look beyond what you present yourself to be. They might dig more to see who they are really dealing with, so it's important that we keep our social lifestyle straight. It cost us absolutely nothing to maintain a responsible social presence.
All Image Are Mine.
