This post has been modified to reflect new information since its original publication.
Does the name Lindsey Stone ring a bell? It might, because in 2012 she was involved in a social media scandal that rocked the internet and was seen by many as tarnishing her online reputation.
According to an article in The Guardian, Stone was visiting the Arlington National Cemetery for her work when a colleague snapped a photo of her raising her middle finger and miming that she was shouting in front of a sign that read “Silence and Respect.”
Stone stated that she gave permission for her friend to post the image on Facebook because she thought it was funny. But she soon incurred a monumental internet backlash for her actions that day.
Online users commented on the original picture, calling her “evil” and sending her death threats.
But the fallout from the picture didn’t stop there. Not only did she get fired by her employer, but she also had her online reputation ruined by an internet mob. As a result, Stone found herself unable to leave her house for nearly a year afterward and struggled to find work.
Unfortunately, situations like this are becoming increasingly common in the age of social media.
Sites like Twitter (X) and Facebook may have dramatically altered the way we connect with others and interact with the world around us, but they also have the power to shape our online reputation. In fact, a study released in August of 2023 by researchgate.com confirms that social media—with its rapid development of information and communication technology can’t help but shape public opinion.
If you aren’t careful, then your social media presence can actually have a negative effect on the way others perceive you online.
Whether you use these sites solely for personal reasons or you are trying to cultivate a professional brand, the things you share create an image of who you are to friends, colleagues, business connections, and strangers.
As such, you need to ensure that you’re putting your best foot forward on these platforms. By doing so, you can prevent your social presence from taking a toll on your online reputation down the line.
The real-life impact of social media
Social media isn’t just for sharing fun selfies or bragging about your vacation plans anymore. The line between our digital and real lives has blurred, leaving many feeling the undeniable sting of a bad online reputation—even when they’re not connected to one of their devices.
Let’s look at some of the people whose online reputations were irreparably damaged by social media use:
Twitter PR blunder loses woman her job
According to this piece in The Guardian, a public relations executive made what many claimed was the biggest PR blunder of her career before boarding a flight to South Africa in 2013.
The woman took to Twitter with an ill-conceived message that connected the AIDS epidemic with race, and users on the site quickly responded with an overwhelmingly negative response.
By the time her plane landed, the tweet had garnered 2,000 retweets and even appeared on Buzzfeed. Not only was her online reputation tarnished, but she also lost her job as a result of a message that contained fewer than 140 characters.
Stolen identity leads to impersonation on Facebook
Personal mistakes aren’t the only way your online reputation can take a hit on social media. When one woman’s identity was stolen via Facebook, the damage appeared to go far beyond her online reputation, according to an article in The Daily Mail.
Web hijackers used her name to create an illegitimate Facebook page that identified her as a prostitute.
The 23-year-old sales executive then began receiving inappropriate pictures and unwanted calls on her cell phone.
She soon received a friend request from an unknown Facebook user whose profile displayed her photograph, date of birth, full name, phone number—and her apparent career.
Given how much attention the fraudulent account ultimately attracted, the woman found it difficult to go out in public and interact with other people. This case of online abuse went far beyond the computer screen and into her real life, damaging her reputation and confidence.
Twitter fraudster parades as a movie star
Even movie star Jonah Hill (“Superbad” and “Get Him to the Greek”) experienced online reputation trouble after an impersonator created a Twitter account using his name, according to an article on Slate.com. The user soon instigated a Twitter feud with actor-director Jon Favreau (“Iron Man” and “Iron Man 2”), who ended up calling Hill to express his displeasure. The fake account also sent disparaging Tweets to other celebs and comedians, which ultimately prompted Hill’s friends to begin questioning his behavior.
Hill eventually had to clear up his online reputation with an appearance on the “Late Show with David Letterman.” During his interview, he stated that he was not on Twitter at that time, so the fake account could not have been his own.
Poor reputation hits home
No one is immune to the effects that social networking can have on one’s reputation both on and offline. Sure, the posts you make on social media may captivate your friends, but could they also prevent you from obtaining your dream job?
You may not know it, but recruiters regularly use social media to vet candidates that they are looking to hire. In fact, about 90% of employers look at potential employees’ social media profiles, and 79% have rejected a candidate based on what they found.
You may be surprised how closely they look at your posts.
For instance, candidates who publicly post unprofessional photos may look bad in the eyes of hiring managers.
The same goes for having too many typos on your social posts. Yes, simple spelling mistakes from throwaway posts you fired off from your smartphone could prevent you from landing a job.
So, what can I do to control my online reputation while using social media?
Social media can pose many threats to your online reputation, so you will need to take a multi-faceted approach to your reputation management strategy. Here are the best ways to get a handle on your online reputation on social networking sites.
Stake your claim on social media
You may have expected us to say you should avoid social media, but that’s a mistake. Nowadays, you simply can’t afford to shy away from social media if you’re looking to build or preserve your online reputation.
You will only do yourself a disservice if you underutilize social media platforms. That said, you must use them correctly.
Establish yourself on every site
From Facebook to Instagram to LinkedIn, you should be making a name for yourself on as many social media sites as possible. Having a personal or business username on multiple platforms can be a huge benefit to your online reputation
Keep up-to-date profiles
You don’t need to post on every platform all the time. However, you should at least make sure your profiles look respectable and are up to date.
Choose your voice
There’s no reason to agonize over every emoji you post to social media. But you should be somewhat mindful of the tone you’re projecting to others.
Take a hint from the experts
To best gauge how you should be posting, take a hint from other professionals in your line of work.
How are industry leaders utilizing their own social media feeds? Follow their example and shape your social networking platforms to convey the exact message and image you want to get across. This will help secure an excellent online reputation amongst those that follow you.
Mind your words
Taking back a mean or stupid comment on social media isn’t as easy as just deleting the content.
Many attempt tactics such as the “Tweet and Delete” to prevent their disparaging comments from reaching the public eye. But this doesn’t always work because someone is always bound to see the content before it disappears.
It is far more beneficial to your online reputation to carefully choose your words and subject matter before posting anything.
Deal with those who are out to tarnish your reputation
Not all issues with online reputation stem from your own use of social networking platforms.
Whether someone uses these platforms to express their displeasure about your business or spread defamatory comments about you, more people are using social media to air their grievances than ever before. If you’re not paying attention, these comments can take a serious toll on your online reputation.
Respond to professional complaints
If you use social media for business or professional purposes, there’s no getting around the fact that you’ll need to deal with the occasional complaint. You should make every effort to reach out to the complainer in as short a time as possible.
As difficult as it may be to read these posts, you might end up with reputation damage if you simply ignore them. Instead, you should use social media responses to address any mistakes made on your part, express your empathy, and ensure that you will fix any wrongdoings whenever you encounter a negative post.
But not to harassment or defamation
It’s important to note, however, that you can’t address every online comment with a few social media replies. Some comments may cross the line into the realm of defamation.
If you or your business are fielding particularly damaging allegations, then you might want to get legal counsel to determine the best course of action.
Be aware of your friend lists
The definition of “friend” has dramatically changed in the era of social media. Often, your “friends” on these sites are either old acquaintances that you haven’t talked to in years or people who you’ve never actually met in person. This isn’t to say that these kinds of relationships are necessarily bad, but they can, in some cases, wreak havoc on your online reputation.
Follow the “golden ratio”
On Twitter (X), your online reputation is based on the users you follow and the people who follow you.
Occasionally you’ll see users who follow a larger number of people than they have following them. This is in violation of something called the “golden ratio” and can even cause other users to view you in a negative light.
So, if you follow 1,000 users and you only have 100 followers, your odds of gaining a positive online reputation on Twitter will significantly decrease. To avoid this, you’ll need to strike a closer balance between following and followers.
Decline friend requests from strangers
Have you ever received a Facebook friend request from a random user? If you accept, then you open yourself to the possibility that they will infringe upon your digital privacy or even steal your identity.
The best way to protect yourself is to simply decline these requests or adjust your Facebook privacy settings to allow only friends of friends to add you to their friend list.
Use social media management and monitoring tools
Social media management tools encompass the various software programs and websites that are designed to help business owners manage their social networking pages.
Some will help you monitor hundreds of comments at once while others can help you manage their Twitter account.
Automated monitoring tools like Google Alerts, Hootsuite, and Rankur are essential to keeping track of your online reputation on social media. That’s because they make getting alerts about your name and brand easier.
Recovery and rebuilding after social media reputation damage
Recovering from social media reputation damage is often a multi-step process that requires sincerity, transparency, and a commitment to change.
Here are the main points to cover when rebuilding trust on social media:
Acknowledge and apologize
The first step in the recovery process is to acknowledge the issue publicly and offer a sincere apology for any missteps you made. This apology should be clear, direct, and devoid of excuses. It’s important to take full responsibility for the actions that led to the reputation damage and to express genuine remorse for any harm caused.
Transparent communication
After the initial apology, maintain open lines of communication with your audience. Transparency is key; share what went wrong and what steps you are taking to address the issue. This may involve explaining any internal reviews or policy changes that are being implemented to prevent similar issues in the future.
Engage with the community
Engage with your audience and stakeholders by responding to their concerns and feedback. This engagement should be respectful and constructive. Show that you are listening and value their input. Taking their suggestions seriously can help rebuild trust.
Implement changes
Demonstrate your commitment to change by taking concrete actions to rectify the situation. This could involve revising your social media policies, providing additional training to staff, or making changes to business practices that contributed to the issue.
Rebuild with positive engagement
Once you have addressed the immediate concerns, focus on rebuilding your reputation through positive engagement. Share content that reflects your brand’s values and benefits and highlight positive customer experiences and testimonials.
Evaluate and learn
Finally, conduct a post-crisis evaluation to understand what lessons you can learn from the incident. Use these insights to strengthen your social media strategy and prevent future reputation damage.
By following these steps, you can work towards restoring your damaged reputation on social media and reestablishing trust with your audience.
If you want to first see exactly how the internet views you and what else might be lurking about you on the world wide web, you should grab a copy of your free reputation report card.
This resource will instantly tell you how others see you online, give you a reputation score, and guide you towards the most important focal points in your online reputation repair.