“Please don’t tag me in that. You never know who’s paying attention and this is not something that I want to be involved in.”
I once had to explain to a friend why he shouldn’t tag me in offensive posts filled with slurs. Social media can easily ruin your life in more ways than one. Someone had to write about the negative effects of social media and how-to not let social media ruin your life as a hustler.
“Your legacy is being written by yourself. Make the right decisions.” – Gary Vaynerchuk
I’m actually one of those people who don’t mind joking around, having fun, tagging friends in silly pictures, or even posting images from a party. I feel that too many of us aren’t authentic enough. I just draw the line at offensive.
We all know someone that crosses over from authentic into offensive fairly often. I’m all for a little controversy but I never get into politics, religion or anything that’s highly sensitive. I just don’t feel the need to share my unsolicited opinion on social media on topics that my opinion isn’t valued on.
You don’t have to comment on every single topic. You don’t need to give your opinion on every global issue. It’s okay to discuss with your close friends.
I felt morally obligated to write this post on social media. I don’t want your hustling efforts to get tossed out the window just because you couldn’t help yourself from posting that stupid meme.
What you need to know about social media (especially Facebook!).
“Facebook was not originally created to be a company. It was built to accomplish a social mission — to make the world more open and connected.” — Mark Zuckerberg
Facebook is the greatest networking tool ever. Instagram is the easiest way to show the world what’s going on with your life. Tinder is an excellent tool for making new friends. All of these tools are also phenomenal wastes of time if not used correctly as a hustler.
Imagine losing your dream job over something that you posted on social media three years ago?
This young lady was fired from the WWE (my dream job) for posting pro-Nazi pics. One picture cost her a dream job that folks would die for.
What do you need to know about social media as a hustler?
The whole world is connected.
“How do you know THAT guy (insert the name of biggest player that I know)?”
I don’t know about you but I get nervous when I add a new friend and I see that there are a few suspect mutual friends.
It actually scares me sometimes when I think of how connected the world is. Think about it. You can message a complete stranger or any celebrity out there (Twitter). You can connect with anyone. I’ve met people in Lima, Peru, who I shared mutual friends with from Eastern Canada.
Everyone can see what you post.
I don’t care how high your security settings are, people will find a way to see what you’re posting about. You also never know who’s on your list. I used to only accept select people back when Facebook was a private party. Now everyone tries to add you and Facebook is very public. Never forget who’s watching (your customers, business partners, idols, rivals, and everyone else).
Everything you do on social media is going to be a piece of your story.
As a hustler every single social media post (Facebook status update, Instagram story, Tweet, etc.) is another part of your story that you’re sharing with the world. Keep this mind when you post.
For example, as an athlete, I know that my followers are looking for advice and tidbits on this topic. They don’t want to find out that I’m eating fast food on a nightly basis and ranting about government conspiracies on social media. You can’t try to convince the world that your podcast on hustling is worth subscribing to if you’re always posting about Netflix marathons.
Let’s get into the negative effects of social media…
How can social media ruin your finances and life?
You get hit hard by FOMO and always need to attend every party.
I’m extremely guilty of this. When I see pictures from a party that I wasn’t at, I get offended. When I see friends checking in at somewhere fun or talking about partying, I need to get in on it. I always feel like I’m missing out or that things could be better. This is very dangerous as a hustler.
You need to keep your eye on the prize.
There’s always going to be a party to attend or something to respond to. You need to focus on creating and promoting your work. You can’t be at every party nor can you watch every stupid video of a guy falling off his bike.
You post something stupid that causes you to lose friends or clients.
I’ve watched some pretty entertaining debates in live time on social media.
Why would you ever think that your political meme would ever change anyone’s opinion?
Why would you argue with someone if you don’t value their opinion?
I personally have stopped following certain bloggers when they would post stupid things because it opened my eyes to our differences in beliefs. I don’t want you to lose customers because you thought it would be funny to make fun of someone’s religion.
You lose your job.
As a hustler, you’re likely working a full-time. You need this job to pay your bill and to fund your side hustle. You don’t want to get fired.
Here’s a list of 17 people who lost their jobs because of Facebook.
This one really stuck out:
“Bronx high school teacher Chadwin Reynolds got fired for being creepy to his students on Facebook. He posted ‘This is sexy’ under pictures they shared.”
One sentence cost him his job and his reputation. Yes, there are negative effects of social media and this is the worst one.
How can you get fired on social media?
I went through all kinds of lists of folks that lost their jobs because of Facebook. The reasons ranged from:
- Hateful comments.
- Posting happy pictures when on sick leave for depression.
- Complaining about tips.
- Negativity towards a boss.
- Complaining about your work.
I have no respect for those who bash their boss online.
How are you supposed to use social media?
I don’t know. The jury is still out on social media. Some folks have used controversy to create a buzz. Others have followed the rules diligently to ensure that they stayed employed. So I studied friends.
Be consistent.
Don’t be the chick that’s always posting motivational quotes and then getting tagged in club photos hammered out of your mind.
Watch how you present yourself.
Everything that you post on a reflection of your personal brand. Yes, I know that the term “branding” is the go-to keyword for all supposed online experts. However, it’s the best way I could describe your overall presentation.
For example,
If you always post pictures of yourself partying, then you’ll come off as a “party person.” Which is fine if you’re okay with that.
What’s your brand? What’s the image that you want to convey to the world? Always think about this before you post on social media.
Keep your story interesting and relevant.
If I follow your fitness brand, I don’t really care about your thoughts on religion or politics. Never forget why people are following you. Your story needs to be relevant and interesting so that your followers will want to spread the word.
I know that you’re working hard to build your business. I want social media to be a tool that helps you as a hustler. I don’t want to see you ruin any aspect of your hustle just because you got into some trouble on social media.
“LinkedIn is for the people you know. Facebook is for the people you used to know. Twitter is for the people you want to know.” – Seth Godin
