Positive Self Image on Social Media

By Judi Moreo

It is important to project a positive self-image on social media. We see a lot of people posting negative comments or pictures. In some cases, these people can get away with it by posting anonymously. But if you post in a negative manner and people find out it is you, this can stick with you for a long time, perhaps even the rest of your life.

More and more companies are using what is posted on social media against potential candidates. Argue all you want about whether they have the right to do this. But the truth is, it’s happening and there is little anyone can do about it. Even if legal actions were brought against companies for these practices, it’s difficult to prove. Companies can simply state they had other reasons for not hiring you.

Whenever you do anything online, it leaves a trail of actions that are open for people to investigate. This is especially true of social media. It’s as easy to post positive messages as it is to post negative ones. So why not concentrate on staying positive? This may even help you when you are looking for a job. Potential employers love people who have positive attitudes.

Being negative can also bring about legal actions if you are posting smear campaigns. If you are writing negative messages about others, they could sue you for slander. Even if you believe you are justified in what you post because it is the truth, that won’t necessarily stop someone from bringing legal action against you. You may win, but it will cost you time and, possibly, some money. That is compounded further if you live far away from where the court is located. You will have to pay for transportation and lodging. So you have to ask, how much did you gain by leaving negative messages? Doing this often enough will put you in the poorhouse.

Negative messages are seldom justified. It almost always comes back to haunt you and is all-around bad practice. Alte
atively, positive messages have a huge potential to make others happy, which can be rewarded when they, in turn, share with others. In social media, the old adage, what goes around, comes around, could never be more appropriate. Keep all your messages and postings positive on social media and you should never have anything to worry about, except maybe viral shares and an overabundance of goodwill.