This week’s resources discussed how prospective employers are checking people’s social media footprints before making an offer of employment. You might think that when you hit “delete” your post or picture is gone, but that is not the case. Anytime you make a social media post, attend a recorded zoom meeting, answer an email, or exchange a text message with a friend you are leaving a digital footprint and adding to your communicative reputation. This can follow you much longer than you might wish. You also might think it can’t happen to you. However, people often post a comment that seems harmless at first only to have it come back to haunt them days, weeks, or even years later.
For this Assignment, you explore the impact of language and communication in a digital format such as social media, text message, emails, or other virtual interactions and its effect on your communicative reputation and digital footprint. You also examine how to engage in a civil manner online and develop a plan for civil social media engagement.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity. Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
Assignment Resource
Weekly Resources
By day 7
Conduct an online search for anyone who has become famous since 2010. It can be an actor, an athlete, a politician, etc. Be sure to include the word “apologizes” in your search (for example, “President Bill Clinton apologizes”).
Write a 250- to 500-word paper addressing the following:
- Identify which famous figure you chose and explain why they are apologizing. Do not comment on whether they were right or wrong.
- Imagine you are that famous figure’s public relations consultant. Using this week’s resources on appeals, fallacies, and engaging civilly, develop a plan for social media engagement that explains when and how the figure, or you on their behalf, should reply, when to stay silent, and what strategies to use to restore their reputation.
- Since you are a public relations consultant in this scenario, you need to lead by example. Review your current digital footprint (for example, social media posts, emails, text messages, other virtual interactions, and pictures, etc.) and explain whether you would feel comfortable with a prospective client seeing what you post, why or why not. How might you apply information from this week’s resources to adjust your communicative reputation?
- Use at least three terms from this week’s resources. Place them in bold.
Access the Walden Writing Center Undergraduate Paper template from the Resources area.