Social media has had an ever growing influence in our daily and professional lives. With employers referencing the social media accounts of their applicants, I feel it is important to take a closer look at how social media affects us, and how to better shape our accounts for professional circles.
Looking at my own social media profiles, I can say that I am very inactive compared to the average person. In the last four years I have made only two post, one about weather and the other about a action to New York city, which is admittedly kind of boring. I feel that if I make a concentrated effort at posting appropriate content, I could allow anyone looking into my internet presence to get a more complete picture. This is not the case for everyone however. What I would suggest is removing or hiding anything you would deem remotely inappropriate on any social media platform.
learningsciences.com has a couple recommended steps you can take to improve your own personal footprint online. One of the more specific things they recommend is googling yourself regularly. I personally have difficulty doing this as there is a famous actor with my exact name, looking at you James Bond. However, this suggestion is useful as you can get a general picture of what anyone would find doing some basic research on you. Based on the information you find you can decide what parts of your online presence you need to change / remove.
So how does social media relate to music education? Simply put, your personal presence should be highly regulated. You should only be presenting the most professional version of yourself. As teacher can come under extreme scrutiny at times. Other than this, social media has many benefits for promoting your concerts, programs, events, ect. Just be sure you make it appropriate at all times.
Daniel's Music Corner 