Avoid These Social Media Mistakes on Spring Break
One of the worst spring break mistakes is posting carelessly on social media. Clogging your Facebook or Instagram feeds with unprofessional or unflattering posts may lead to consequences that follow you for life. Your relationships with family or obligations to school administrators or employers can also be damaged. What you post online will never go away. Think of the following consequences of social media mistakes before you hit the post button.
Depending on what you post, you could be terminated. For example, if your employer sees photos of you drinking heavily, it may reflect poorly on your professional life. This is especially true for professionals with licenses, such as teachers, nurses, and lawyers. Posting anything deeply unprofessional, whether it be a photo or a regular status update, may end with you losing your job. Texas is an “at-will” state, which can make it easier for an employer to terminate your position.
You may get into trouble with your school. School administrators may see or become aware of your posts. Are you on campus and violating a school policy? You may be referred to your school’s administrative office for disciplinary reasons.
You could hurt your future career prospects. Many employers meticulously comb through the social media accounts of job applicants. They may check Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, or Google. Photos or status updates can reflect poorly on your professional ambitions. Employers want candidates who will not be a liability. Any time you post to social media, ask yourself: “Is this something I would want my future boss to see?”
Your family may take offense at some of your posts. Depending on the post, this may strain your relationships with family members.
In the worst-case scenario, your embarrassing post could go viral. This means tens of thousands or millions of people could see one of your most embarrassing moments. These are the types of posts that get picked up by media outlets and haunt people for the rest of their lives.
Want to Avoid Social Media Mistakes? Keep Your Future in Mind
Alcohol is a significant reason people show poor judgment when posting on social media during spring break. However, even the excitement of the moment can lead to permanent consequences. Always keep your future in mind when posting on social media. Do you want your family, employers, or school administrators to see your posts? It’s also a good rule of thumb to keep your personal and professional social media accounts separate. You can maintain separate social media accounts for your professional and personal life. If they are not separate, you can set your privacy settings to the maximum to increase the likelihood that only select people can see your posts. For example, Facebook allows you to limit who can search for you or see your timeline. You can also use security settings to limit who can find you on Google. The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC are dedicated to serving the safety and well-being of our community.