Social Media Carries Awesome Responsibility

Social media is more than just a soapbox and megaphone

Over the past decade, we have seen the proliferation of social media along with the good and the bad that comes from it. A recent article about how social media lead to employees getting canned brought this up once again.

Cases of Employees Getting Canned Over Social Media

The key message is that what one does on social media can impact the individual in many ways…both good and bad. One thing that is often not discussed is the awesome responsibility that comes with a large social media following.

Responsibility is a term not often associated with social media. Yet, a social media following creates influence. It is this influence that has awesome power and therefore responsibility.

Those with a social media following need to look beyond the soapbox and consider the impact of their post. How will it be received? Is it informative? It is inflammatory? What will the reaction be? How will others respond to the post?

Some may argue that they don’t care and they will post whatever comes to mind. Social media is a powerful tool. It is important to consider the impact and purpose of what is shared.