What Are Possible Consequences of Social Media Mistakes Made During Spring Break?

Posted On March 15, 2017 In Helpful Information

One of the worst spring break mistakes is to make careless posts 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 suffer damage. What you post online will never go away. Think of the following consequences of social media mistakes before you hit the post button.

1. Depending on what you post, you could be fired from your job. For example, if your employer sees photos of you drinking heavily, it may reflect poorly on your professional life. This is especially true for people who hold professional licenses, such as teachers, nurses or lawyers. Posting anything deeply unprofessional, whether it be a photo or 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.
2. 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 wind up in your school’s administration office for disciplinary reasons.
3. 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, Snap Chat or Google. Photos or status updates can reflect poorly on your professional ambitions. Employers want candidates who are not going to be a liability. Any time you post to social media, ask yourself: “Is this something I would want my future boss to see?”
4. Your family may take offense to some of your posts. Depending on the post, this may strain your relationships with family members.
5. 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 major reason people show poor judgement when posting on social media during spring break. However, even the excitement of the moment can lead to permanent consequences. Always have your future in mind when you are posting on social media. Are your posts something you would want your family, employers or school administrators to see?

It’s also a good rule of thumb to keep your personal and professional social media accounts separate. You can have social media accounts for your professional life and personal life. If they are not separate, you can max out your privacy settings to increase the chances 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 options to limit who can search for you on Google.

The Texas personal injury attorneys at Mike Love & Associates, LLC are dedicated to serving the safety and wellbeing of our community.