Professionalism On Social Media

We’ve all heard the tale of the highly-placed executive who got fired because of a social media post.

We know that when we’re on social media, we have to take care of our image and make sure that we’re being professional. You never know when you could be meeting your future boss, right?

It’s crazy to me how professionalism seems to be the glue of corporate America — keeping everything together from productivity to workplace relations, to career advancement. Who doesn’t like a professional?

What’s more, someone who’s master professionalism is someone who has been consistently able to show results in their work and has become an expert at what they do. In a sense, these are the people that everyone wants to work with.

So what is it that stops us from being professional on social media as well?

It would seem that some people have the urge to be a version of themselves that nobody likes, just for the sake of it. To me, that just means being your worst self.

In fact, being your best self is something that I’ve harped on all my life.

I could never understand how some people, who just weren’t good at certain things, simply refused to get better and would punish everyone else by being a version of themselves that was just not up to par with their potential.

I mean, I know you’re not a professional basketball player but if you miss the net every time just go to a local park and shoot some hoops or don’t play basketball at all. There’s plenty of room on the soccer field. (shoutout my private elementary school facilities).

When it comes to social media, I don’t believe that it’s a place where you can relax and be yourself, especially when you’re creating content for your community.

There are just so many people on here, and it’s public, so why deface yourself before you’ve even given yourself the chance to make a face for yourself.

Even if you have 10 followers, and you know them intimately, you probably shouldn’t act in a way that you wouldn’t if you were face to face with them.

That’s what I call being professional on social media: being yourself / being your best self.

If you’re an accountant, act like an accountant on social media.

If you’re a dentist, act like a dentist on social media.

I’m telling you we don’t care that you have this hidden personality that you feel needs to get out. Leave that for the bedroom.

Anyway, this was not meant to feel like a rant, but it seems that my writing has come to this — when I’m frustrated about something, it’s difficult to talk about ice cream or rainbows. Not that my posts are ever really about that anyway.