IS SOCIAL MEDIA AS POWERFUL AS

WE THINK?R A C H A E L N A G E L B E R G

SOCIAL MEDIA GIVES PEOPLE A SENSE OF CONFIDENCE

“Yesterday, we got written up in TechCrunch and LA Magazine, and we all had dinner at Nobu to

celebrate!”

Steven, a consulting partner, tweets about 40 times per day and has his own Facebook page with

50 fans. “I do it primarily because it makes me feel good.”

What are the outcomes of our need to be recognized publicly?

OUR ONLINE PERSONALITY

• A study of 37,000 college students discovered

that personality traits associated with self-

importance have risen since the 1980’s as quickly

as obesity

• One could question whether this rise has

anything to do with social media, but one study

concluded that there is a strong correlation

between a narcissistic personality inventory and

the use of Facebook

WHY ARE WE ON SOCIAL MEDIA SO OFTEN?

Dr. Rosen says there is a 3:1 ratio of anxiety reduction to pleasure in terms of

what drives us to our screens

He argues that at this point, the obsession with technology has not reached

that of a psychiatric disorder but with time it is possible that this could occur

The constant checking of our social media is similar to an obsession or a

compulsion

Think to yourself, how often do you check your phone to find something to

feel good about, versus feeling a need to check in order to avoid missing

something

HARDWIRED FOR FACEBOOK

Our brains are actually built in a way that makes us naturally addicted to websites like Facebook

Social skills and the ability to engage others on a large scale are incredibly important

This allows us in to be successful in modern North America

In fact, a study found that teenagers who use social media frequently tend to have better social

skills and experience less loneliness than teens who avoid an online presence

H O W S O C I A L M E D I A C A N H E L P U S

IS IT REALLY WORTH ALL THAT TIME SPENT ONLINE?

LinkedIn Usage

Recruiters using LinkedIn Recruiters not using LinkedIn

With more jobs requiring employees to know

how to code, knowledge of technology is of high

importance to many employers

Absence from social media may reflect in the

person being ‘behind the times’

It turns out that having a professional online presence can increase chances of finding a career

“LinkedIn is the No. 1 source of recruiting,” according to Patricia Polischuk

HOW ARE RECRUITERS CHECKING UP ON APPLICANTS

Recruiter's Twitter Usage

Recruiters using Twitter Recruiters not using Twitter

Recruiter's Facebook Usage

Recruiters using Facebook Recruiters not using Facebook

STATISTICALLY SPEAKINGMore than a third of employers are actively using social media as a vital

part of their hiring process.

2 in 5 companies use these platforms to evaluate a candidates

character.

Most employers are looking to see if a candidate is a professional

while half say they are looking to see if the person will mesh well with

the culture of their company.

Surprisingly less than half of job seekers are actively on social media.

Most people occasionally go online, and only 11% do not use social

media at all.

U S I N G T H E I N T E R N ET T O C A M PA I G N

IS AN INTERNET CAMPAIGN ENOUGH?There have been many times people have launched online campaigns using hashtags and online

petitions in effort to make a difference

It is a valid question whether these campaigns have any pull

The hashtag #BringBackOurGirls was created after 270 girls were abducted in Nigeria

Even with support from the first lady, after a year none of the girls have returned home

As much of an impact as social media can have on our career prospects, the internet does not

appear to be enough to make large changes

IS AN INTERNET CAMPAIGN ENOUGH?

Some campaigns have proven to be incredibly effective

Kony 2012 was a campaign led by Invisible Children

A documentary quickly went viral and led to huge amounts of support from the public, and

further encouraged media coverage for the campaign

THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIACAREERS

There are many times the use of social media can damage one’s ability to be

employed

Small mistakes made online may cause huge issues if certain people discover

them

Justine Sacco discovered this after posting a tweet:

“Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m white!”

THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIACAREERS

It quickly became the top trending tweet and within hours Sacco was

receiving hate messages, and had lost her job

This shows how powerful social media can be, and how important it is to

closely monitor what you post

THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIASCHOOL

As it turns out, our social media profiles can also hinder our ability to

get into college

Admissions officials will usually only check out personal profiles if they

have been alerted of previous negative posts by the applicants

THE DARK SIDE OF SOCIAL MEDIASCHOOL

Though they may not look at everyone's profile, it may be worth it to

revamp your profile before applying to university

H O W T O U S E T H E I N T E R N E T T O Y O U R A D V A N TA G E

SELF BRANDINGIt is an art to know how to brand oneself

Self branding is what allows a person to move from being unrecognizable to being a distinguished

individual

The skills required to market yourself appropriately are highly valuable. It will allow a person to

separate themselves from the crowd and let employers know what makes them unique and

valuable.

LITTLE CHANGES TO IMPROVE YOUR ONLINE PRESENCE One simple change to your online presence can really make a difference when an employer

decides to search for you

Forbes suggests googling yourself first in order to see what a potential employer would be

looking at

If you have a name that is common, it could be a good idea to start using your middle name in

order to differentiate yourself and improves self branding

Forbes also suggest creating a personal website so that you can be found quickly and easily and

put on display exactly what you want

S O , I S S O C I A L M E D I A A S P O W E R F U L A S W E

T H I N K ?It turns out that it is.

Social media can dramatically improve our ability to get a job.

It can enhance our chances to get accepted to your dream college.

If done properly, it has the ability to start powerful campaigns.

It is even powerful enough to change our habits, and can even make

us obsessive.

REFERENCES1."1,995 Free Images - Photos, Illustrations, Vector Graphics: Phone." Pixabay. Pixabay, n.d.Web. 01 June 2016.

2.Bowness, Suzanne. "Five Ways to Be a Smart Social Media User in Your Job Hunt." The Globe and Mail. The Globe and Mail, 10 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

3.Bresciani, Sabrina, and Andreas Schmeil. "Social Media Platforms for Social Good." 2012 6th IEEE International Conference on Digital Ecosystems and Technologies (DEST) (2012): 1-6. IEEE Xplore. Web. 01 June 2016.

4.Chamorro-Premuzic, Tomas. "The Future of You." Harvard Business Review. Harvard, 01 Jan. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

5.Gulati, Daniel. "Our Dangerous Obsession with External Recognition." Harvard Business Review. Harvard, 10 Dec. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

6.Hyder, Shama. "7 Things You Can Do To Build An Awesome Personal Brand." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 18 Aug. 2014. Web. 01 June 2016.

7.Kielburger, Marc, and Craig Kielburger. "A Click Is Not Enough to Have Impact on World." Canoe.com. Canoe News, 10 Apr. 2015.Web. 01 June 2016.

8.Popescu, Adam. "Coding Is the Must-Have Job Skill of the Future." Mashable. Mashable, 30 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

9.Ronson, Jon. "How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Sacco’s Life." The New York Times. The New York Times, 14 Feb. 2015. Web. 01 June 2016.

10.Rosen, Larry, Ph.D. "Our Social Media Obsession." Psychology Today. Sussex Publishers, 17 July 2014. Web. 01 June 2016.

11.Singer, Natasha. "In College Admissions, Social Media Can Be a Double-Edged Sword." Bits Blog. The New York Times Company, 11 Nov. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

12.Smith, Jacquelyn. "How Social Media Can Help (Or Hurt) You In Your Job Search." Forbes. Forbes Magazine, 16 Apr. 2013. Web. 01 June 2016.

13.Tufft, Ben. "Social Media-obsessed Teenagers Are so Frightened of Real Life Some Won't Even Answer the Door." Daily Mail Online. Associated Newspapers, 20 Mar. 2016. Web. 01 June 2016.

ALL images are from reference 1.