This is as much as reminder to me as to anyone else I connect with on twitter or on other social media platforms. Let’s practice what we preach when we tell others to practice kindness and be the leaders we’re supposed to be in our professions and our communities.
I was about to tweet something sarcastic and derogatory during the Oscar Award show, about to join others who were mocking some celebrities, but I caught myself and stopped. Are we not to model the behavior we want our students and colleagues to be? From time to time, I see tweets that remind me to “check your last 10 tweets. Would someone hire you based on those tweets?” Even the benign sarcasms can be misinterpreted on social media. Look, I’m no Kristen Stewart fan when it comes to her acting but the tweets that came across my timeline were not the most positive, even mean. I actually felt bad for her as she limped on stage. She may never see those tweets but some of the students or friends we’ve been preaching to about the proper use of social media may.
I’ve been guilty of not being so nice on social media either, not on purpose, but inadvertently. If you catch me acting on social media in a way that’s not appropriate, make me accountable by calling me out . Let’s make a commitment towards practicing what we preach by modeling good and acceptable behaviors we expect our students and others who are looking at our actions can follow.