Social media: Is it time to quit?

Writer and blogger —Cal Newport, an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and the author of Deep Work: Rules for Focused Success in a Distracted World— opines in the NY Times that social media can be harmful to your career. What do you think?

Quit Social Media. Your Career May Depend on It.

Graphic by nytimes.com
David Saracino – nytimes.com

 

I’m a millennial computer scientist who also writes books and runs a blog. Demographically speaking I should be a heavy social user, but that is not the case. I’ve never had a social account.

[See also Social Media: Boost Your Career ]

At the moment, this makes me an outlier, but I think many more people should follow my lead and quit these services. There are many issues with social media, from its corrosion of civic life to its cultural shallowness, but the argument I want to make here is more pragmatic: You should quit social media because it can hurt your career.

This claim, of course, runs counter to our current understanding of social media’s role in the professional sphere. We’ve been told that it’s important to tend to your so-called social brand, as this provides you access to opportunities you might otherwise miss and supports the diverse contact network you need to get ahead. Many people in my generation fear that without a social presence, they would be invisible to the job market.

Read the rest of the article here.