Should we separate our social media accounts to make a professional one?

We all wear different hats. In one place, we are a family member. In another, a classmate. In yet another, a professional in the workplace. We have complicated lives, and in an age so fed up with social media, it may be helpful to discuss navigating social media as we wear our different hats.

Those of us who have a both a personal and professional life with different social circles might want to make a social media account for both, feeling the need to keep those lives distinct.

Some benefits of doing this could mean our two friend groups will likely want to see different types of posts. People who only know a coworker through work will probably be more interested in posts relating to the workplace than about personal life. If they are personal friends, chances are they won’t care as much about professional work posts.

Some might argue that we shouldn’t make separate accounts simply because we are not different people. It’s common to appreciate people who are the same at home as they are everywhere else, and multiple social media accounts could give the impression that they might be trying to hide something from someone. However, this assumes a sour motive on the part of the one managing multiple accounts who may simply want to post content to friends that would appreciate it.

Another reason someone may give for using a singular account is that it may make it difficult to find posts. As an example, our U.S. Representative, Dr. Phil Roe, shared my article featuring ETSU’s Conservative Coalition on Facebook. I looked at one of his Facebook accounts to see it, and not finding it there, I then saw it on his other account. I was grateful that he posted my article and didn’t mind at all that he has two Facebook accounts (I myself have five Gmail accounts), but I can see how some people could be slightly annoyed to filter through more than one account to find a post.

As for how to present our lives on social media, it really depends on what we want to do. Who are your circles of friends, and what information do you want to share with them? I personally like Phil Roe’s model of dual accounts, but some people may simply prefer to just operate one. This choice is yours.