Notable individuals use social media to engage with their public audience to let the audience know what they are doing. Usually their social media accounts are officially confirmed which the account holders are the public figures. Many people also make lots of income off social media by either selling products online or taking advantages of the massive number of followers.

There are many benefits of having a PLN being in the public eye. First of all, It is very easy to increase their influence to the public. Many people truly believe the actions and words from the public figures who they love. In addition, having a PLN in the public eye can also expand their reach. However, online abusing is another serious concern. Many people abuse others by using very offensive language on the internet. Lui(2020) has mentioned that there were times in which she stopped posting and replying the comments because of the high volume of negative comments.

There are both restrictions and advantages of having social media directly related to employment. Justia (2018) stated that employers might know a candidate’s race, sex orientation, gender, and disability through social media. This could potentially increase inequality in the society. Moreover, it is difficult to maintain a life-work balance with personal profiles linked with many employment related.  On the other hand, it is an effective advertisement to have people’s social media related to their employment. social media are very useful tools to promote the company or brand that people are employed with. For example, famous public figures are great ambassadors in terms of representing their company or products.

In order to build a PLN that can be consistently relied on, the contents need to remain accurate and relevant. being trustworthy and creditable are the key factors to make strong connections with each other.  We need to decide whether the sources of information are reliable before sharing to prevent from misleading others.

References:

Justia. (2018). Use of Social Media in Hiring.

Lui, S. (2020). EDCI 338 A01 – LUI, Sophie. YouTube.