How old social media posts could cost you your next job

When Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media platforms first surfaced, it was a place where people could speak their minds and catch up. Posts were spontaneous, messy and often fleeting. Increasingly, however, everyday online behaviour is being treated less like conversation and more like a permanent behavioural record.

Now, past partying can haunt the personal brand that everyone’s trying to curate.

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People are now posting carefully

Digital culture analyst and netnographer Carmen Murray said the current environment surrounding social media has changed how people behave online. Instead of spontaneous expression, many users now carefully manage what they say and how they interact.

“We are seeing a rise in considered behaviour rather than free behaviour,” Murray said. “People are no longer posting spontaneously. They are posting carefully.”

One of the most visible drivers of this caution, she said, is rising polarisation and the fear of public backlash.

“Social media users increasingly worry that comments or opinions may be misinterpreted or taken out of context long after they were posted,” she said. “The fear of public shaming, misinterpretation or backlash has created an environment where many people self-censor.”

Murray said many users are also becoming more aware that online activity can have real-world consequences. Employers, institutions and even authorities can examine digital activity in ways that were far less common a decade ago.

“People are now cautious not only about what they say, but also about who they interact with online,” she said.

Netnographer Carmen Murray said people are more cautious about posting. Picture: Supplied

Also, platforms that once connected people with friends and chosen communities have become increasingly dominated by recommended content and unfamiliar accounts.

“Social media used to feel like a personal community,” Murray said. “Today, feeds are driven by recommended content and accounts people don’t recognise. Many users feel disconnected from the communities they originally built.”

Online communication is moving

At the same time, communication has not disappeared. It has simply moved elsewhere.

Private groups, closed communities and subscription platforms are becoming more attractive for people who want spaces where they can speak more freely and test ideas without fear of public scrutiny.

“From the outside it may appear as if people have stopped wanting connection,” Murray said. “In reality, those conversations have simply moved behind closed doors.”

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But the growing awareness that online behaviour forms part of a permanent digital footprint is also influencing how employers assess potential staff.

Recruitment and talent specialist Claire Lockey said it has become almost impossible for people to separate their professional reputation from their online presence.

“Any individual with a smartphone or computer spends a significant amount of time online,” Lockey said. “We are naturally curious and will very often Google the name of anyone we interact with, whether out of curiosity or to corroborate information.”

That party pic you posted may cost you your next job. Picture: iStock

She said search results often present a fragmented picture of a person through professional profiles, articles and social media accounts.

“When these search results are pieced together they create an impression of an individual. This is referred to as the ‘mosaic effect’,” Lockey said.

The process can sometimes influence hiring decisions long before a formal interview takes place. Lockey recalled a recent case where a client declined to interview a senior candidate based purely on their messaging profile image.

“The client added the candidate’s cellphone number to WhatsApp and the profile image didn’t reflect the values of the company,” she said. “The candidate was denied the opportunity to meet the client purely on these grounds.”

Posts determine potential staffer’s social behaviour

Older posts and photographs can also influence how recruiters assess candidates. Lockey said personal content is often examined to understand behaviour outside the workplace.

“Our personal lives always flow over into our professional lives,” she said. “Posts, photographs or comments are often used to understand a potential employee’s social behaviour, their networks and any controversial affiliations that could prove damaging.”

Images in particular can shape perceptions about a candidate’s values, professionalism or lifestyle. “Pictures do speak a thousand words,” Lockey said. “The overall tone present in images often sends subconscious messages about a person’s values, self-image and professionalism.”

People who have documented much of their lives online, the consequences may be long lasting.

“Any information shared online remains on servers for a significant amount of time and can often be found later,” Lockey said.

Posts that once appeared harmless can resurface years later when circumstances have changed. “Innocuous posts shared in earlier years can come back to haunt you later in life when taken out of context,” she said.

Lockey said people born between 1965 and 1980, often referred to as Generation X, may be the last generation that avoided a complete digital timeline of their lives. Younger generations, however, are entering the workforce with years of online activity already visible.

Combined with the increasing use of behavioural data, Murray said this reality is changing how people approach digital expression.

“Online behaviour is no longer just self-expression,” Murray said. “It has become a record that can be interpreted and judged long after the moment has passed.”

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