Social Media and You

We live in a time where some might consider you in the minority if you do not have some sort of social media account or if you are under the age of 40 years old. Today, businesses, educational institutions, and individuals use social media to sell their brands, build relationships, gather information, or for sheer entertainment. Whatever the reason might be, Social Media affects many people daily. Although Social media can be helpful, you can turn on the news or search the internet to see how many people have made headlines and even lost jobs due to social media posts.

Below is some advice I have shared with many of my employees, graduate students, mentees, family, and/or friends that have asked me about this topic. These are things that I live by and that have seemed to keep me out of trouble. It is not an all-inclusive list, but it is a start. Email me if you have additional questions you would like for me to address at drkorreiwhite@gmail.com.

Before being hired in a school system, here are a couple of things I like to share with people. I open with, Do what you think is best, but here are my tidbits of advice to help you avoid potential issues.

1. Before you begin interviewing, clean up your social media pages. When you are working on the job, clean up your social media pages!

This may mean something as simple as managing your privacy settings on each platform. Now might not be the best time to have a public page if you have an Alter Ego (smile). No judgment! We all have lives outside of work. What you do off the clock is your business; however, what you do off the clock can affect your daytime job! Protect yourself. This is the time to adjust your settings to private and friends-only settings.

Take the time to go through the list to purge those associates that you may not know as well. If you are all about the numbers (the more followers, the merrier), be sure to clean up your page).

Be mindful of anything you post; (because depending on the reader and how a picture of anything is perceived, it can and will be used against you!

2. Do not feel pressured to accept a friend request from Coworkers/employees. If you choose to do this, I would recommend creating a separate account for your coworkers/work professionals to follow. I am not advertising for any particular platform; however, know that professional social media platforms are available for networking. It is okay to have separate accounts. You will thank me later. Again, I strongly recommend that you do not mix work and pleasure.

3. If you are a teacher or administrator: Avoid befriending the parents of the students you teach. If you have a school account that is sanctioned by the school: perfect; encourage all parents to connect with you there.

• Dr. White, what if I was friends with a parent before I started teaching? (If their student is in the school building, I recommend unfriending the individual until the student exits the school. Do what you like. Just my tidbit! Remember, everything is all good until it is not!

4. Under NO circumstances should you befriend any of your students on your personal social media accounts! I do not think I need to go into detail here. I encourage educators to make themselves relatable to students. Yes, connecting with your students is important. You can share personal things such as your pets' names, places you like to travel, or fun stories about your family during morning meetings. :-)

• Even if and when you are not connected with people directly, remember nothing prevents people from copying and pasting, and sharing items you posted on the internet. So you must still be cautious. Remember, if you put it out there, it is in cyberland forever and is discoverable.

5. Add disclaimers to your accounts. Make it clear that your words are your own!

6. Last but not least, the most important tip I can share on this matter is to research and know your School Districts Social Media Policies. Many policies state that you must use professional discretion before posting, even if it is a personal account. Remember, even when the setting is made private, treat everything as if it is public that moves through a public domain!

I would advise you to contact your Human Resources Department if you have questions. I firmly believe in living out loud; just don’t allow it to cost you your livelihood.

The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any institutions or employers the author (s) (Dr. Korrie White or any guest authors) may have been affiliated with in the past or current position (s). All views shared are the author's thoughts. The content here is for informational purposes.