Effects of social media on employment and businesses
Social media is a big part of modern-day life that has a varying effect on a varying array of people and organisations. In a world where everything that goes online is available forever, what is said about us on social media never goes away either. As I have grown up, social media has always been a prevalent part of my life as long as I can remember. As such, I have seen the way in which it affects not only peoples mental health but also their careers. It can also have a great effect on businesses as a whole.
While it may not be the first thing to cross our minds when we upload a picture or post a comment, all of the things we share about ourselves with social media platforms are available to a wide variety of peoples. These people may sometimes include future or possible employers. Because of a modern climate, employers will often check for social media accounts of their future employees to see what they are like in their everyday life or to get a sense of how they will reflect on to the company. A survey done by Technojobs showed that 61% of employers who researched their candidate’s social media decided not to hire based on the content of their profile. While the primary business-related social media platform is Linkedin, many companies still check Twitter, Facebook and even Instagram. An employee of a game retailer was fired for offensive tweets that he posted, the company claiming that this was gross misconduct. Even if it is part of your personal life, if it poorly reflects on your place of employment, then it can be cause for dismissal.
Businesses are often revolutionised by ever-improving technology. Social media is just one of these modern concepts that industries have to adapt to. Established and well-known businesses and brands often use social media as a tool for promoting their products or services and a lot of smaller businesses now use this method too. 90% of businesses would agree that social media has an immense effect on business. This enables it to be shared and spread more quickly throughout target audiences, benefiting the business, likely increasing awareness for the product and sales. However, this same medium that can help promote the product or company as a whole, can also have the opposite effect. News, whether it true or not, can spread quickly alongside negative comments for the public. As people, we generally care about the opinions of other people, which makes negative comments dangerous for a businesses image and sales as it could dissuade people from buying a product.
Communication between businesses and consumers is important in the development of the business itself as it enables customers to express concerns or queries to a company about any given subject. While the company may not reply to every message or comment, it enables them to see customer reaction and gives them an idea on how they should adapt to better meet customer needs. Plus, because social media marketing is a targeted method, the comments and reactions are more likely to be the companies chosen target audience.
Social media has had varying effects on varying groups of people, especially professional organisations. What we put online may only be a reflection of our real life and for companies its only just a small part of a bigger picture that they manipulate. Image is important online as it affects how people see you or the place you work.
Sources
–https://www.mogersdrewett.com/how-the-use-of-social-media-can-affect-your-employment/– https://www.revechat.com/blog/top-9-ways-social-media-impacts-businesses/
