This week’s REFLECT activity concerns the concept of photo sharing – specifically, whether or not students could see possible applications for it in their personal or personal professional lives.
I am of the opinion that online photo sharing services definitely have their place – though whether or not that place is in the professional sphere is questionable. Applications like Instagram, Flickr and the once-popular Photobucket are constructed with relaying personal experiences in mind. For instance, friends and relatives can view uploaded pictures of a newborn baby from far-flung places around the world. I’ve had some friends who’ve welcomed a new addition to their family in the past few months and in this regard, the concept is a resounding success. The time-sapping process of attaching images to individual emails is done away with entirely, and the ability to leave comments for specific images lends a personal touch to the proceedings. Potential well-wishers can make congratulatory statements on the fly, resulting in instant gratification for the image posters.
On the flip side, the use of photo sharing applications in one’s personal professional life is fraught with potential dangers. What one person considers harmless or acceptable could be construed as offensive to another. There’s always the more-than-slight chance that a co-worker or manager could come across an image of a contemporary in a position that could be considered compromising – especially in social situations where alcohol is involved. This could lead to all manners of public shaming, and in some extreme scenarios, disciplinary measures or even outright dismissal. Although there are some obvious cases where photo sharing could be a boon in the workplace – documenting official functions, for example – I feel the practice reeks of an unprofessional attitude. How many times have we come across a news item where an employee is disciplined or fired due to incriminating images on Facebook? Often, said images are not even posted by the employee in question, but by a friend or co-worker with poor discretion. In my opinion, some things are better kept out of the workplace – and the (potentially) unsavoury activities of last Saturday night are no exception.
In summary, while I see no harm in the general social utilization of photo sharing services, I wholeheartedly believe they have their own well-defined place – and that is most certainly *not* in the workplace.
Information Overload 