Technology and social media is a huge part of our society today. People use it to promote business, artwork, or simply just their personal lives. In the professional field, sharing on social media can be tricky. You have to be careful about the pictures or comments you post, share, or even just “like”. While your posts can be harmless, someone could possibly take it the wrong way. It is critical to be cognizant of what you post because one wrong comment or picture could be the end of your job. Some examples of ways professionals could get fired for posting on social media are making comments about work, posting inappropriate pictures, or contacting students outside of the classroom.
In an article by The Daily Dot, a teacher was fired from her job by flaunting her party lifestyle and drug possession on Twitter. Carly McKinney, 23 (at the time of this article), had tweeted inappropriate photos of herself and admitted to having marijuana in her car in the staff parking lot. This was immediate grounds for her release. Be careful about what photos you put out there!
In another article, a man by the name of Scott Bartosiewicz made a comment on Twitter about drivers in Detroit. He said “”I find it ironic that Detroit is known as the #motorcity and yet no one here knows how to (expletive) drive.” This comment was meant to go on his personal Twitter account but accidentally posted it to his professional account for Chrysler. Because of his degrading comment about Chrysler customers/drivers, he was released from his position at Chrysler.
And finally, in 2014, New Jersey School Boards made a new policy regarding social networking between teachers and students. This law requires all schools to have a written policy regarding electronic communications between students and teachers. Teachers and students may not “friend” each other on social media without the principal’s written approval and they are only able to communicate via the district’s computers. If teachers fail to follow this policy, they will be fired.
At the end of the day, it is incredibly important that you are careful about what you are posting on social media. You never know who is going to see it, who will get offended, or who will file a complaint to your boss about it. Keeping things professional in person and online are two very important aspects of having a professional career.
Every professional opportunity I have been given the importance of maintaining a presentable online persona has been stressed. I like how you mention that even what you “like” online can influence the way an employer perceives you. Many people assume that digital likes can be generic, but liking something shows your stance on topics and interests! Additionally, I agree completely with what you wrote regarding student and teacher relationships beyond the classroom.