Notable individuals do have a vastly different social media experience than the average person. While they may post similar things; pretty foods, pretty landscapes, selfies, or photos with family – everything that a notable individual posts is amplified and scrutinized in a way that your average person’s social media never would be. Those with social media use it as a platform to boost their careers and promote their upcoming projects, which can work wonders in terms of career development. For instance, if there is an artist or actor I like I will normally follow them on Instagram, then when they have a new movie or new song coming out they post and I’m immediately aware of it. If they didn’t have that social media platform they were using as a way to get information out quickly to those that were interested in them, then I likely wouldn’t have even been aware they were releasing something new. 

Some of the biggest benefits of having a PLN and being in the public eye is creating connections with new people. Something I see a lot is fans spearheading collaborations between artists nowadays. If fans think that two artists would work well stylistically, then they will let the people know on social media through tweets, Instagram comments, etc, and that can then lead to the two artists messaging each other and actually going through with some kind of partnership. Being in a PLN while also being in the public eye means that there is an added aspect of fans who could offer new ideas or new contacts to help further careers and broaden the PLN.  

Having social media directly related to employment is a careful tightrope to walk because it is not only yourself you are representing. Every action you make whether good or bad will always be representing the company that you are working with, so there is more pressure to be extremely careful with how you are perceived. On Twitter, in particular, tweets can go viral and spread like wildfire at a shocking speed, and one bad tweet can lead to an image being forever ruined. Being the causation of bad PR for your employer is nothing that can be made light of, and could result in termination. That being said, there are also benefits to having social media in conjunction with a company; with the biggest benefit being the widened reach that you would have. Having a verified account or a company account likely results in more followers and more engagement, and in a situation where you are trying to build your professional network, this is a huge bonus. As long as you think critically and are careful about how you post, having this type of social media can be a worthwhile asset.

Having a platform does also mean having a responsibility to not spread misinformation. Like it was mentioned earlier, tweets can go viral immensely quickly, but that does not mean every tweet should be taken at face value. Having people within your PLN who think critically, ask questions, and look for sources is a very important piece in making sure that you or the people you surround yourself with are not contributing to the spread of false and potentially harmful information. Much like how when a rock gets thrown into a pond, there are always ripples traveling out. People must consider the ripples that they create when they use social media, and how those ripples they create can spread far behind the people within their immediate online community.