Social media may either make or destroy professions in the linked world of today. Particularly for popular personalities, one thoughtless tweet might go viral and generate a significant backlash. A Career Builder poll indicates that seventy percent of companies explore job candidates on social media networks. A recent study found that 88% of managers would consider firing employees with unprofessional social media activity.
Clearly, what you post online matters; while deleting controversial tweets doesn’t erase them from the internet, it can help mitigate damage by removing them from public visibility. For certain professions where reputation is paramount, knowing when to scrub your feeds can save your career.
Scenario 1: Offensive Jokes That No Longer Reflect Your Values
Years ago, many uploaded vulgar jokes and memes without thinking about future implications. However, a provocative comedy that was accepted in the past might not fit modern ideas about diversity and inclusion.
What looks innocent fun to you could seriously insult underprivileged groups? And because of the lengthy memory of the internet, those past postings could come back to ruin your present reputation.
Take media personality Kevin Hart, for example. He stepped down as host of the 2018 Oscars after facing backlash over homophobic tweets from 2009-2011. Hart deleted the tweets and apologized, but the damage was already done.
The lesson? If you have old tweets with offensive language or stereotypes, it’s time to delete tweets now. Doing so signals that you no longer stand by that harmful rhetoric. It may not erase past wrongs, but it’s a start toward positive change.
Scenario 2: Oversharing Personal Details You Later Regret
Social media tempts us to share personal information we’d never announce publicly. Relationship drama, mental health struggles, family issues – it can be cathartic to post at the moment.
But oversharing intimate details often backfires long-term. Those emotional posts or rants about your boss can sabotage future job searches if found by recruiters. Embarrassing stories of bad dates or wild partying won’t do your reputation any favors, either.
So if you have tweets revealing too much private information, consider deleting them. Don’t leave ammo out there for others to use against you. The less said online about your personal life, the better.
A sobering example is ex-MLB pitcher Curt Schilling, who was fired from ESPN in 2016 over an offensive meme. But reporters also surfaced old tweets where he discussed his daughter’s sex life in graphic detail. It demonstrated poor judgment and crossed ethical lines for a public figure.
Learn from Schilling’s mistake. Delete any overly personal tweets and think twice before posting such intimate details online.
Scenario 3: Criticizing Past Employers and Colleagues
Venting about work frustrations is understandable. But doing so publicly on sites like Twitter comes with risk, especially if you criticize specific institutions or people.
Even if you leave a company on bad terms, avoid tweeting insults about past employers, colleagues, clients, etc. Those connections are smaller than you think. Word spreads quickly, and such unprofessional criticism can torpedo future job prospects in your industry.
Rather than a tweet, keep work complaints private or anonymous. Deleting tweets that criticize past affiliations prevents them from impacting future roles. As they say, don’t burn bridges. You never know when you’ll need to cross them again.
Scenario 4: Controversial Opinions That Threaten Electability
The political arena comes with intense public scrutiny of past statements. In the social media era, there’s a massive digital paper trail of youthful opinions.
What may have seemed like reasonable stances years ago could sabotage modern campaigns. Flip-flopping also invites accusations of dishonesty.
Deleting old political tweets is a good idea for aspiring politicians or public servants because that is why. That means it gives rivals less material to weaponize.
Take U.S. Congressman Kevin McCarthy, who deleted over a thousand tweets before his 2016 bid for House Speaker. Critics accused him of hiding hardline conservative stances to increase electability.
Likewise, U.K. foreign minister Boris Johnson purged politically problematic tweets during his successful 2019 Prime Ministerial run.
Untagging old posts for those who are running for public office avoids awkward explanations. It helps you to control the narrative as positions naturally change over time.
Scenario 5: Problematic Tweets From Your Youth
Too often, young people tweet recklessly without thinking about their digital footprint. Anonymity and privacy on the internet are false.
But adolescent mistakes can definitely come back to haunt you. Using racial slurs, making threats, illegal drug references, and lewd comments––this type of behavior gets people expelled or arrested nowadays.
So, if you have inappropriate juvenile tweets still lingering, remove them. Otherwise, they may surface later when applying to colleges or jobs.
Consider Harvard rescinding admission offers in 2017 to ten incoming freshmen over obscene memes they posted in a private Facebook chat. Universities and employers now investigate applicants’ internet histories.
Don’t let youthful foolishness on social media ruin future aspirations. Take control by untagging unreflective posts from your childhood.
Scenario 6: Lying About Qualifications
While resume lies happen frequently, getting caught exaggerating credentials can mean career suicide. Yet people often tweet boasts that cross ethical lines.
For instance, claiming advanced degrees you never attained, falsifying past roles or responsibilities, misrepresenting subject expertise, etc.
If such misleading tweets come to employers’ attention, don’t expect that job offer. So before applying anywhere, do an online self-audit.
Delete any posts where you stated inaccurate qualifications, made unsupported knowledge claims, or overstated abilities. Verify all social media profiles accurately reflect credentials on your actual resume too.
Otherwise, you risk accusations of dishonesty or plagiarism. For example, a UK government advisor resigned last year when she tweeted false claims about having a PhD. Protect your reputation by deleting any tweets where you misrepresented qualifications.
Scenario 7: Controversial Views That Don’t Represent Your Brand
We all evolve on social issues, but career influencers have added scrutiny. When building a personal brand as an industry thought leader, spokesperson, or founder, everything you post publicly matters.
What were controversial opinions today might have barely raised an eyebrow a decade ago. The historical context is different, and modern audiences do not give past mindsets a pass.
Take tech entrepreneur Jason Calacani,s who was called out in 2020 for resurfaced, sexist tweets from 2010-2014. After people threatened to boycott his products, he issued apologies and deleted the tweets.
Deleting outdated views helps brand ambassadors not represent current values. Creators and creations usually go together. Your brand is your reputation.
Conclusion
Social media posts linger forever even after hitting ‘delete’, but removing regrettable tweets still limits their spread. For public personalities especially, periodic self-audits help curate an ethical digital footprint.
Career-wise, controversial tweets rarely make positive impressions on current or future stakeholders. Before major life milestones like job searches, college applications, elections, etc., consider untagging unreflective posts from your digital youth.
People evolve, mature, and change worldviews. But the internet’s permanent record freezes us in time despite personal growth. As career tweet-deletion scandals demonstrate, modern standards often judge past mindsets unkindly, even if societal norms differed back then.
While excuses may explain objectionable old posts, they rarely appease outraged mobs. So, take preemptive control of your online reputation when possible. Delete tweets that could threaten your livelihood, given today’s unforgiving callout culture.
Your thoughts pre-career may understandably not represent current values post-career. Untagging hot takes from years past avoids having to rehash outdated views. For ambitious professionals, periodic social media purges can be a wise long-term strategy.
Because in the internet age, your tweets can always come back to haunt you.
