Social media has become a massive part of our lives. Not only does it play a significant role in how we present ourselves to the world, but it also plays a role in other parts of our lives. How often, when you apply for jobs and organizations, do they ask for your social media? If they think it doesn’t match their standards, you may not get the job. We see this a lot in Greek life, where there are strict rules on what you can or can’t post on social media. Most of these rules are for the good of the members and the organization, but it begs the question: where does it stop?
How much should we allow ourselves to be controlled by what others will think of the social media posts we make? Should it be able to influence our ability to work? Many organizations and businesses require that you follow company policies when posting on social media because they claim you represent the company. How far does that go through? Many argue that it’s vital for companies to hand out repercussions, especially if an employee is spreading hate on the internet, but where do we draw the line?
How much does the average person represent their organization? If you are in a sorority, do you always have to live by the standards? How far do we let these rules go before it starts to inhibit how we can express ourselves online? We mustn’t allow hate speech, but controlling other aspects of social media should be condemned. Students should not have to worry about accidentally having a red solo cup in the background of an image or that their posts may have a political standpoint. I agree that organizations should not stand by if their workers are intolerant and hateful, but getting an employee in trouble for posting pictures of alcohol should be out of the question.
It is vital to hold people accountable as a society, but at what point are we restricting people’s ability to be exactly that: people?