The blurred line between personal and professional

Charlotte O'Malley

co126308@ohio.edu

The internet has taken over. College students applying for jobs after college can expect a high probability of being interviewed by their potential employee via Skype, which I used at the beginning of college to keep in touch with high school friends. School organizations have started using Facebook to schedule “Events” necessary for their organization. Even Obama used Facebook propel his presidential campaign. It’s difficult to remember online activity before social networking. But can professionalism and websites like Facebook mix?

Not until the internet forged a path from being a speedy information provider to an outlet for an online persona did the internet become so omnipresent in our society. Before “smart phones” people would fiend for when they could return home to their computer to check their email or Facebook. Now they can do both while maintaining a conversation or sitting in class. I maintain that part of the reason the internet is such a strong force is because as a society we are impatient and there is an instant gratification element to being able to get the information that you want and need RIGHT NOW. The phenomenon really exploded when you could not only look up information about anything online, buy ANYONE as well.

In my high school, the social media trend progressed from diary-like posts on Xanga to Myspace, and finally came to a rest with Facebook. While Xanga obviously disclosed the most personal information due to the fact the site was used for personal journal posts, Myspace and Facebook gave the public an ability to create an identity online. They could be analogous to an aggregator for information about an individual person. What are their political beliefs? What are their religious beliefs? What is their sexual preference? What is their relationship status? Check Facebook. Furthermore, our employers will be checking up on us via Facebook as well.

I have a slight fear, especially being in the journalistic field, that my future employer will have it’s own Facebook page and Twitter feed that announce when the next staff meeting will be. These fears could be unfounded, but due to the impact social networking has had on our everyday lives, it doesn’t seem that big of a stretch. Professionalism and Facebook/Twitter shouldn’t mix since they so heavily touch on our personal lives. However, it is clear that despite this, we must think of the two together since so much information is available to the public eye. It is a reminder for me to keep my pages private, use discretion when I write a “status,” and de-tag that picture of me bonging a beer freshman year.