5 Stories of Social Media Hurting Careers

5 Stories of Social Media Hurting Careers5 Stories of Social Media Hurting Careers2From politics to popular celebrities, you have an opinion on everything, and you have no problem sharing it. You like to voice your thoughts on social media, where others often join in on the conversation. But while posting what you really think of Kim Kardashian on facebook inc might seem innocuous, it can potentially hurt your chances of finding a job- or worse, get you fired from your current one. Dont believe us? Here are five stories of social media hurting careers and what you can learn from it.In the New York Times article, How One Stupid Tweet Blew Up Justine Saccos Life, writer Jon Ronson warned of the perils of not thinking before posting/tweeting.1) One Tweet Leads to Public BacklashOne of the biggest social media gaffes welches committed by Justine Sacco, a then-senior director of corporate communications at IAC. On a trip to South Africa, she began tweeting what she must have thought were funny tweets. Chilly- cucumber sandwiches- bad teeth. Back in LondonBut it was this next tweet, as she began the last leg of her trip to Cape Town, South Africa, that really caused a stir Going to Africa. Hope I dont get AIDS. Just kidding. Im whiteWhen she got off the 11-hour flight, her phone blew up with texts, tweets, and phone calls. Within a few hours, Sacco went from having 170 Twitter followers to becoming the 1 worldwide trend on Twitter. The backlash was swift and fierce, with people eager to see Sacco get fired in real time. One person even went to the airport to capture the moment when Sacco got off the plane and turned on her phone to discover her sudden fame. Her friend, Hannah, deleted the tweet- and Justines account completely- but it was already too late. As one Twitter user wrote, Your tweet lives on forever.2) A Pictures Worth a Thousand Words?Another social media mishap was had by Lindsey Stone, who often took pictures in front of signs doing the opposite of what the sign said. Most were harmless- smoking in front of No Smoking signs- but then she took a picture at Arlington National Cemeterys Tomb of the Unknowns. Standing in front of a sign that read Silence and Respect, Stone pretended to scream and flipped the bird. She posted the pic, without realizing that her mobile uploads setting was set to public, not just friends.A few weeks later, someone found the photo, which led to a popular Fire Lindsey Stone Facebook page. News crews were outside her home, and she was immediately fired from her job, working with developmentally disabled adults. She admitted that she barely left her house for the following year, both depressed and horrified by the intense backlash and hatred she experienced online.3) A Halloween Costume Gone WrongAt a Halloween party, Alicia Ann Lynch dressed as a Boston Marathon bombing victim, complete with a running outfit and fake blood smeared all over her arms and legs. Pictures were published on social media, includin g on Twitter where Lynch was known as SomeSKANKinMI and her personal information was discovered. She was sent threatening messages, and was also fired from her job.4) Crude Joke Gets Outed on TwitterThe New York Times Ronson also interviewed a man who worked at a tech company back in 2013. During a meeting, he made a crude joke and was surprised when a woman sitting in front of him turned around to take a picture. She then tweeted the pic to her 9,000+ followers with the caption Not cool. Jokes aboutbig dongles right behind me. A few minutes later, he and his friend were taken aside to explain the comment. Two days later, the man- married with three children- was let go.5) Turns Out, the Joke Was On YouThe story of the crude joke didnt end there. The woman who posted the pic, Adria Richards, soon experienced an immense backlash from people working within the same industry of developers. She received death threats on both Twitter and Facebook, and someone went so far as to tweet her home address along with a photo of a beheaded woman with duct tape over her mouth. Richards wound up sleeping on friends couches for the rest of that year. When her employers website was taken down (and her employers told the attacks would stop if she were fired), Richards was publicly let go the same day.Learning from Stories of Social Media Hurting CareersWhether youre job searching or planning to ask your babo to give you a flexible schedule, its very, very important to be careful what you post online. One innocent tweet can cause chaos online- and possibly destroy your reputation as a professional. You might even end up in the New York Times.So be sure to keep your Facebook profile (and all subsequent posts) private. You should even consider setting up a second profile as a professional page to highlight all of your previous successes in your industry. Try to stay away from anything controversial, such as politics or hot button topics.But that doesnt mean you shouldnt ever post anything online, either. Instead, comment on topics that relate to your industry that show off your expertise. That way, youll show your professionalism, and be one step closer to a job interview, promotion, or that flexible schedule youre after.Readers, have you heard of these stories of social media hurting careers? Have you been more careful of what youve posted online since you started your job search? Let us know in the comments section below