As a young man in my mid-twenties I have discovered that not many people want to look at the disadvantages of social media because they know they can’t live without it. But maybe it’s time to face the dangers we are unwilling to look at, because that’s the only way we can make our experience online a healthy one.
Today, almost everyone has an internet presence. Connecting with people is one thing we all love to do, sharing perfect moments, discussing personal and professional issues together, even when ordinarily distance would have been a great obstacle. Social media has been one of the ground breaking inventions of our time.
However, to this great invention and liberty, comes implied restrictions on our behavior and conduct and imposes on us a responsibility to be careful and circumspect. There have been remarkable amount of successful people whose posts on social Media platforms like Facebook and twitter have seriously affected their professional life and sometimes even reduced their worth in the eyes of reasonable and respectable members of the society. More probable than not, who you are affects how people treat the content of your post online. For example a bouncer in a local club down-town may not get the same backlash on social media for taking a ‘selfie with a lady on his laps as would a clergy man if he does exactly the same thing, (maybe the exception being if the lady is his spouse).
The real questions we must all then reflect on now is, whether there is something on our social media account that can affect our future job prospect or dwindle our respect in the estimation of reasonable men in the society?
Prior to recent years there was no internet presence like now, so obviously President Mohamadu Buhari in his mid-twenties could not have posted anything that will in recent times could have hampered his chances of getting into the then Nigerian war college or in 2015 blocked his chances of becoming the president of the most populous country in Africa. Quite a number of admissions offices of professional schools, including Human Resource Managers of companies and industries are all using tools that integrate social media into the way that they filter through applications for jobs and schools. This is accelerating especially in big companies who are concerned about the images of their staff e.g. insurance companies, brand companies and media stations. A recent example that is so fresh in our minds is the suspension of one of the most respected producer and presenter of one of the leading stations in Ghana, TV3. She was suspended because the managers of TV3 accused her of cyber theft when she cropped her friend out of his picture at a London stadium and put herself in his place, which falsely represented to people that she was at the London stadium. After receiving so much backlash she tried to explain that it was all a prank but because TV3’s image was so important to them they did not take it lightly. It is becoming more and more common for one’s social media presence to be looked at to judge an applicant’s suitability. Social media has given companies a window beyond your CV into your life. Employers use it to see if you would be a good image for their company.
Ashley Payne, a teacher in Barrow County, Georgia, was asked to resign from her job at Apalachee High School in August 2009 because of photographs and status updates she posted to Facebook. You may want to ask what on earth did she post online? Well; There were pictures that showed her drinking alcohol and in one update she used an expletive. Payne was on vacation in Europe and some of her photographs included her visits to the Guinness Brewery and a local pub in Dublin. Payne's Facebook page was private, however she had friended some other teachers in her school. When the principal found out about the photos, she was told to render her resignation or face suspension. Although ordinarily you might think drinking on social media is nothing, the position one finds him or herself, sometimes dictate what u can and cannot do.
It is easy for the non-weary in heart to say ‘I don’t intend wearing suit each morning to work in wall street or delve into the terrain of politics’ which requires a high standard of behavior or as some will put it, a play to the gallery. But whichever discipline one finds him or herself some minimum standard of good behavior is required.
Trevor Noah a South African born US based comedian who succeeded JON STEWART on The Daily Show has received one of the hottest backlash in recent times over posts he made several years ago when arguably he was held to be ‘nobody’ in the society. Noah’s post was dug up to as far as 2nd June 2010 to have had the following content ‘’ South Africans know how to recycle like Israel knows how to be peaceful’. Among some of his fans, this was held to be anti-Semitic in nature. Further tweets were dug up to have also contained the following, ‘‘so I must make my woman fear my penis? RT @UberFacts: The more you fear something, the bigger it appears’’. This amongst others was criticized for offending the very nature of womanhood. I am sure at the time Trevor wrote that, it never occurred to his mind that it would become such a huge issue during one of the most important stages of his life.
Lots and lots of people in high places have lost opportunities, been demoted, had issues in their relationship, suffered even undue peer pressure as a result of a so called better-of-contents in pictures uploaded by folks. All these suggests that social media is one platform youths and even the aged should thread carefully especially those guilty of cyber street fights and cybersex. Let us all review our internet presence and put up the best attitude virtually to avoid a comeback bite in the ass.
Remember to be fore warned is to be fore armed.
PAULINUS. C. IKEORAH thatpaulinus@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment