Navigating Political Discussions and Protests Online

Political tensions and protests exemplify how charged discussions impact online reputations. As students engage with current events, divisive issues closer to home, or rallies on campus, these heated situations play out across social media in real-time. It is crucial to carefully consider how posts are perceived by diverse audiences, including potential employers and admissions committees.

The Urge to Voice Your Views

As a student, you might feel compelled to weigh in and express your views online and having a voice on important issues is part of being an engaged citizen. But you also have to be mindful of the long-term. What you post today could come back to haunt you down the road when you’re looking for jobs or trying to get into grad school.

What Can Happen

The Impact of Strongly-Worded Posts

Strongly biased posts might undermine credibility and objectivity, potentially alienating future networks and damaging relationships with educators and prospective employers. Carefully weigh the reputational impacts of your tone and rhetoric, especially in passionate discussions. Prioritizing respectful, fact-based dialogue allows meaningful debate without compromising professional opportunities.

Constructive Activism vs. Aggressive Rhetoric

Constructive activism through peaceful gatherings and measured social media posts is generally viewed more favorably than aggressive ones. If someone is critical of your viewpoint, respond diplomatically or disengage to avoid escalating rage-filled exchanges.

Demonstrating Critical Thinking

That’s not to say you can’t be an activist or share your perspectives online. In fact, thoughtful, well-articulated views that show you can see multiple sides of an issue can actually work in your favor professionally. It demonstrates critical thinking, open-mindedness, and emotional intelligence – all qualities employers value. Just be savvy about it. Avoid extreme rhetoric, personal attacks or oversimplifying complex issues into “us vs them” posts. Stay factual, acknowledge nuances, and try to promote more light than heat in your conversations.

Employers’ Perspective

The truth is, future employers and admissions officers routinely check social media profiles. If they see posts that come across as extreme, intolerant, or just plain unprofessional, it could seriously hurt career chances. An edgy political rant or pictures from that “protest gone wild” might seem harmless amongst friends, but to an outsider, it could make you look like a reckless or polarizing person. Not a great look when you’re trying to prove you have the judgment and maturity to thrive in their program or workplace.

Dealing with Backlash

If you do encounter backlash or harassment for your views, don’t get baited into an unproductive slugfest. Respond diplomatically, if you must, but don’t escalate things further. If things get out of hand, disengage and consult mentors or peer groups for advice on how to move forward positively.

The Power of Social Media

The bottom line is this: Social media is a powerful megaphone, but it’s all too easy for things to get twisted, taken out of context, or just go off the rails entirely in the online world. As passionate as you might be about the causes you believe in, you have to be mindful that what you say online can potentially alienate communities and burn bridges long before you even encounter them in real life. Your words carry weight, so use them wisely, especially when discussing polarizing topics. It’s about more than just being polite – it’s about protecting your reputation and future prospects.

Best Practices for Political Discussions

• Promote Thoughtful Engagement: Encourage discussions that are informed and respectful. Avoid sharing content that could be seen as inciting or that simplifies complex political matters into polarizing statements.
• Maintain Objectivity: Try to provide a balanced view when discussing political issues. Showing an ability to consider multiple perspectives is crucial in academic and professional settings and is often valued by prospective employers and educational institutions.
• Monitor Online Behavior: Regularly review your social media activity to ensure it aligns with the image you wish to present. Be mindful of how your online statements might be perceived by a diverse audience.

Dealing with Online Backlash

• Responding to Criticism: If you face criticism or backlash for your views, address it professionally. Engage in dialogue that is constructive, or choose to disengage politely if the discussion turns unproductive.
• Seek Feedback: Consult with mentors, peers or other professionals about how to express your views responsibly. They can provide an outside perspective on whether your posts might be viewed as controversial or harmful.

Consequences of Extreme Stances

• Perception of Bias: Be aware that strongly biased posts can affect how others view your credibility and objectivity. This perception can impact your professional and academic prospects so be flexible and open-minded.
• Risk of Alienation: Extreme or hostile rhetoric might alienate potential networks, including peers, professors, and future employers, potentially damaging your online reputation and personal relationships. Instead, try to be as inclusive as possible.

Engaging in political discussions requires careful consideration of the tone and content. By prioritizing informed, respectful communication, you can participate in meaningful debates without compromising your online reputation. Always consider the potential long-term effects of what you share online, especially in highly charged political climates.

Who Is More Likely to be Scrutinized Online?

“It takes many good deeds to build a good reputation, and only one bad one to lose it.” — Benjamin Franklin

Students may find themselves subject to extra online scrutiny when looking into prestigious programs or if they are looking for high-stakes positions—like jobs in finance, medicine, politics, or for scholarships and many graduate programs. Given the extremely competitive nature, those with an excellent online reputation might be the small edge that makes one stand out among equally candidates. However, a bad online reputation will probably lead to an early exit for consideration.

Competitive students, in particular, should be mindful of a strong online reputation, but it is not just for Ivy Leaguers. Every student’s online reputation is important.

The bottom line is that reputation management is one part of a successful employment strategy. Of course, students need to focus on traditional factors. However, these accomplishments are reflected in your online persona to show employers or grad school officers understand how academics, experience, and personality come together to make you an exceptionally strong candidate.

What College Admissions Officers are Searching for Online

Like employers, graduate school admission officers aren’t necessarily looking to trip up applicants. They are generally searching for a positive affirmation that a student is as good as their application suggests and maybe even better. After all, these schools are attempting to get a better feel for who you are as a potential student.

Graduate School Admissions

In the highly competitive college admissions environment, attractive schools can be selective. As a result, if red flags show up online, they simply move on to the next candidate. Typically, students don’t get a chance to explain.

This often includes negative posts, images suggesting irresponsibility, hate speech, or more. Extreme language and frequent party photos grab the admission counselor’s attention immediately—for the wrong reasons.

To counteract these issues, Google yourself and think as an admissions officer might. Untag photos on Instagram or videos on TikTok—or, politely ask the person who took the unflattering images to take them down. Be strategic in trying to remove the damaging content.

Also, admissions officers might be impressed by volunteer activities, but only if it’s something you actually did. They are likely to follow up and ask about your experience, and if it turns out to be false, it will be worse than if you never offered the information at all.

Removal of negative posts or images is sometimes possible through untagging, reporting offending photos/content, especially if you were the original poster. For information you don’t control, try to get the blog, webpage, or another source, to delete it. If your request is ignored or declined, suppression is the best approach (see more below).

Consider asking a teacher, parent, trusted mentor, or reputation management professional to help you assess your current online reputation and weed out the information that could reflect poorly. They can spot issues you hadn’t thought of, such as content you thought was fine but is actually negative.

What Are Reputation Management Approaches Students Should Avoid?

The Wrong Way: Delete Everything

Employers are not necessarily seeking a full investigation, but if negative links appear on the first page of Google, they are likely to be found. Some students take desperate measures in an attempt to cover any prospective problems by deleting social media or changing their name. However, even if possible, lacking an online presence can be suspicious, making it seem there is something to hide. Also, it could lead to a lack of control where new negative links would quickly rise to the top.

Also, there is a false security in hiding platforms. Online content, even if behind private accounts,  can be leaked when others share them. People can take screenshots of people’s ‘friends’ on social media doing bad behavior even if their profile is locked and repost them.

Ignore and Hope It Goes Away

When entering the professional world or pursuing further education, ignoring past online missteps probably is not a real solution. While it may be tempting to hope that controversial posts or comments will fade, the reality is that once something is online, it can remain there, and can resurface unexpectedly.

Since people, including potential employers, discover you online, any negative links are especially tempting to click on; the more people click, the more the rise in Google search results, until they are on the top or the first page. Ignoring or failing to address potentially damaging content could create the impression that you lack accountability or self-awareness, traits that are valued in professional settings.