"Grad School 2.0: Performing Professionalism on Social Media” by Amber Buck

In today’s age, digital professionalism isn’t written in stone, but is rather shaped by how you interact, present yourself, and communicate online. In “Grad School 2.0: Performing Professionalism on Social Media” Amber Buck discusses how performing professionalism isn’t truly about displaying who you fully are but rather how you continually and actively chose to present yourself and manage your persona online. In today’s growing digital age it has become significantly difficult to separate your personal life from your professional life as they can both viewed from outside. Buck states that due to this societal change countless graduates have seemed to take this into consideration and generate a “personally professional” identity to signify a blending of both their personal and professional lives. This may include posting about their career involvement such as research combined with a personal touch such as involving humor or  personal opinions. This idea allows individuals to be intentionally strategic of how they come across online rather than posting solely formal and academic material. In doing so we must also consider the risks such as how various segments of your audience can view every piece content you put out such as from your teachers, to classmates, and even future employers to which you cannot control who or how you are judged or seen. Buck also mentions how almost everything you post online is irreversible and can always be found somewhere. I’ve personally seen how this affects individuals as often times young individuals post online not realizing how it could impact them in the future. This ultimately leads to what we call digital surveillance as we become increasingly self aware and self conscious of what we post online leading to consistently watching and judging ourselves from our own point of view in hopes of understanding how we can come across to anyone who happens to come across our profiles. It can be daunting to feel as if we are constantly under watch, almost as if it triggers a sense of anxiety. Although these are all challenges of posting on social media, it still remains one of the biggest assets of society as we heavily rely on social media to network, grow our careers, and develop interests and relationships. Social media provides the benefit of providing opportunities in finding professionals to connect with, sharing our professional experiences and career development, as well as build a strong presence and reputation demonstrating our resilience and ability to grow and improve ourselves. In my personal opinion I find that although there are factors to consider when it comes to having social media, the benefits outweigh the risks. Social media acts as a mode of communication and opportunity, allowing us to share our thoughts and experiences, voice our opinions, and network with individuals you may not have the chance to have met in person without the presence of social media platforms. I find that in having social media we give ourselves the ability to reprogram ourselves to be aware and considerate of the information we chose to share and in doing so present ourselves in a way that align with our values, morals, and way in which we want to leave our “mark.” All professionalism aside, I find that the way we chose to present ourselves should be a reflection of who we want to be here on earth. Would we want to be seen as driven, perceptive, and resilient? Do we want to be seen as caring, kind, social, and respectful? I find social media as a way to communicate how we see ourselves, how we want others to see us, and who we want to be. Overall, it is important to understand without being intentional in what we chose to put out into the world, it will either make or break our reputation and self view in how we chose to use social media as a tool.

In today’s age, digital professionalism isn’t written in stone, but is rather shaped by how you interact, present yourself, and communicate online. In “Grad School 2.0: Performing Professionalism on Social Media” Amber Buck discusses how performing professionalism isn’t truly about displaying who you fully are but rather how you continually and actively chose to present yourself and manage your persona online. In today’s growing digital age it has become significantly difficult to separate your personal life from your professional life as they can both viewed from outside. Buck states that due to this societal change countless graduates have seemed to take this into consideration and generate a “personally professional” identity to signify a blending of both their personal and professional lives. This may include posting about their career involvement such as research combined with a personal touch such as involving humor or  personal opinions. This idea allows individuals to be intentionally strategic of how they come across online rather than posting solely formal and academic material. In doing so we must also consider the risks such as how various segments of your audience can view every piece content you put out such as from your teachers, to classmates, and even future employers to which you cannot control who or how you are judged or seen. Buck also mentions how almost everything you post online is irreversible and can always be found somewhere. I’ve personally seen how this affects individuals as often times young individuals post online not realizing how it could impact them in the future. This ultimately leads to what we call digital surveillance as we become increasingly self aware and self conscious of what we post online leading to consistently watching and judging ourselves from our own point of view in hopes of understanding how we can come across to anyone who happens to come across our profiles. It can be daunting to feel as if we are constantly under watch, almost as if it triggers a sense of anxiety. Although these are all challenges of posting on social media, it still remains one of the biggest assets of society as we heavily rely on social media to network, grow our careers, and develop interests and relationships. Social media provides the benefit of providing opportunities in finding professionals to connect with, sharing our professional experiences and career development, as well as build a strong presence and reputation demonstrating our resilience and ability to grow and improve ourselves. In my personal opinion I find that although there are factors to consider when it comes to having social media, the benefits outweigh the risks. Social media acts as a mode of communication and opportunity, allowing us to share our thoughts and experiences, voice our opinions, and network with individuals you may not have the chance to have met in person without the presence of social media platforms. I find that in having social media we give ourselves the ability to reprogram ourselves to be aware and considerate of the information we chose to share and in doing so present ourselves in a way that align with our values, morals, and way in which we want to leave our “mark.” All professionalism aside, I find that the way we chose to present ourselves should be a reflection of who we want to be here on earth. Would we want to be seen as driven, perceptive, and resilient? Do we want to be seen as caring, kind, social, and respectful? I find social media as a way to communicate how we see ourselves, how we want others to see us, and who we want to be. Overall, it is important to understand without being intentional in what we chose to put out into the world, it will either make or break our reputation and self view in how we chose to use social media as a tool.

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