Reflected by Social Media...

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Both public and private organizations have a tendency to remind people associated with them that actions and words done and said in public reflect back on the company. This is a tale centuries old. Prospective teachers are informed by college professors that their behavior and words could reflect back on their assigned school, whether teaching in a private or private school. Hospitals may remind nurses and doctors that their behaviors and words outside of work should reflect the institutions' values. When working in a public-facing job within your community such as a public library, seeing patrons outside of work is common, which means you are always being judged by your behavior, words, and appearance. This judgement can exist for anyone who works in a public-facing position within any type of organization. Political leaders and celebrities are the people most quickly thought of when considering someone's private actions and words reflecting back on their jobs or careers, but the same is true for everyone else...especially in a world where social media is so prevalent. Our actions and words could be posted on social media at any time and shared to anyone.

Even high school students who have leadership roles within the school are not immune from the claim of their actions and words on social media being a reflection of the school. This was seen recently in my area through a very controversial course of events that made national headlines out of Walker, Louisiana in Livingston Parish, an area only half an hour from where I live. Unfiltered with Kiran, a local news source from homegrown Louisiana journalist Kiran Chawla, reported on the shocking story of how a top student and student government association president of Walker High School was removed from her role as SGA president and had a scholarship opportunity ripped away from her because of dancing caught on camera. Kaylee Timonet danced at a private after-party on homecoming weekend, and a video of her dancing landed on social media. Someone later sent that video from social media to the school principal, Jason St. Pierre, and he subsequently made his own aforementioned judgement calls that stirred a huge, ongoing controversy. The entire situation and its firestorm have left the community begging for answers, but the question I keep wondering is...

How far is too far, when saying organizations are reflected by our behavior and words on social media? How young is too young to claim an organization is reflected by a student's behavior or words on social media? Are our private lives ever truly private anymore, when our behavior and words could so easily land on social media and be sent to our organizations' leaders?

Comments

  1. Natalie StansburyOctober 17, 2023 at 3:59 PM

    This is such an important topic and one that is quite controversial. Every story has two sides, and social media usually only tells one. Whether it tells the story we intended or someone else's interpretation can change life significantly. This type of situation happens more often than it should. I do agree we need to be considerate of what we post online or share with others. It is a different world than years long past when it was a "what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" deal. So if we don't want the world to see something now we all have to be much more careful. What is most unfortunate is when someone blows things way out of proportion. Or, there is the case of the friend you thought was your friend but turns out not to actually be your friend. One can just never be too safe with anything anymore.

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    Replies
    1. Samantha MatherneOctober 17, 2023 at 7:41 PM

      Never being too safe with anything should be a guiding principle for social media use. In this case, the DJ even checked with the mom of the student before posting the video to social media, and she saw nothing wrong with her daughter's behavior. Unfortunately, in a digital world, the parents are not the only ones judging students, and our friends are not the only ones judging us as adults. Even posting something on a private social media account does not keep the content private, because anyone who has access to the account can somehow share the content.

      Delete
  2. Anna V.October 17, 2023 at 5:43 PM

    Yes, things certainly are different now. I have heard it mentioned that some employers look at a potential candidate's public social media posts prior to hiring them. I was wondering if the follow up article on this story would have some resolution as far as the scholarship, but it doesn't seem to have been decided yet.

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    Replies
    1. Samantha MatherneOctober 17, 2023 at 7:45 PM

      I have a limited number of personal social media accounts. Knowing a potential (or current!) employer could dig up my social media at any time reminds me to pay attention to what I post online. Hopefully, people are more conscious of employers checking their social media accounts today than was the case when social media first started getting popular in the mid-2000s.

      Seeing how this entire story surrounding Walker High School wraps up will be interesting.

      Delete

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