Social Media Mask

We are in the 21st century where technology has taken over every aspect. The social sphere is loaded with many platforms that people can use for various reasons, whether it is for business or just to have fun, the fact remains that there are numerous social media platforms for different purposes. The social media world is a place where we can share our interesting opinions and perspectives, and videos of ourselves or our pets. As much as social the social media world is a place where we can express ourselves freely, but it can be a bit tricky. As much as you are free to post anything you want, you still need to be careful about the content you share.

Our social media accounts are like our digital diaries where we share everything about ourselves. And everything we share is there “forever,” well until we practically delete them. Even when we delete them, there are risks that other users have seen and taken screenshots of them. I have heard stories of many celebrities who shared “awful” views about certain subjects before they became famous, and when they became famous, their fans dug up screenshots about what they shared, even after they had taken them down. “The internet never forgets.” This is a popular phrase on social media platforms. It means as much as you are free to share anything you want, you just have to be careful not to say anything that will ruin your identity or may cause harm to your reputation in the future.

Interestingly, nowadays, employees want to get access to your social media profiles before they consider you for employment. As an employee, you are like the face of your company, so I think it is a bit fair that employees want to take a peep at our social media lives. Think about it this way; if you were an employee, would you like to employ someone who shares dirty, awkward, and harmful things on social media platforms? Definitely not! But think about it, there might be more to social media profiles. Today’s edition of Hive Learner’s prompts asks us if employees should submit their social media profiles to their employers or not. There's been a longstanding debate about whether employers should have access to their employee’s social media platforms. While some think it is a breach of privacy, others see it as ensuring safety and protecting the name of the brand.

A few months ago, I came across an interesting post on Instagram. An employee shared a post about how “someone interesting” came for a job application in his company. After accessing his Instagram profile, he discovered that the job seeker had recently bantered and cursed him. Although he didn't share what happened next; if he got the job or not. But with the information he provided, I'm pretty sure he laughed at the job application and threw it into the dustbin. To some extent, I support the idea that employees should submit their social media profiles, as it has its own advantages, but it also has many disadvantages. The disadvantages outweigh the advantages. Taking a good look at this topic, I am of the school of thought that making employees share their social media profiles is a breach of privacy.

It is important that employers should be able to discern personal life from professional life. We have two identities; our online and offline personas. A person might be playful, cracking jokes and messing with people everywhere on social media, but that doesn't mean that the same attitude will be directed towards work. A person who is “pure” on social media might turn out to be negative when it comes to work, on the other hand, someone who doesn't have a good social media record might put up the best attitude and turn out to be the best employee. Again, employers should not allow social media records to come in the way of professionalism.

Employees should not be forced to submit their social media profiles. Instead, they should do so willingly. After employment, limited monitoring can be implemented. For instance, after employment, a rule should be made regarding online etiquette and basic social media practices. Any employee who violates this rule should be penalized.

Thanks for reading.