Instagram is an incredible tool that drives engagement (and it doesn’t hurt that it is owned by Facebook!) Recruiters are fairly active on Facebook and Twitter, but as the internet community becomes more and more visual every day, Instagram is continuing to gain steam as a social platform for individual interaction and recruitment via company culture. As of September 12th, Instagram has added a new feature which we think will have a positive impact on users who are utilizing Instagram for recruitment. What feature is that you ask? Censorship aimed at harassment.
Though the internet isn’t about censorship in general (most note that it is a place for unadulterated free speech), when it comes to professional interactions, it’s important to monitor your channels at all times for undue negativity. In fact, Facebook is one of several networks that offers a page-based profanity filter in response to that issue.
In today’s day and age, most companies maintain a relationship with either a PR firm or alternative advertising agency that watches out for these types of interactions so as to keep their company brand intact. After all, putting your best foot forward is difficult with a tarnished brand.
So what exactly does this update mean and why was it instituted? Well, in the words of Instagram they want to keep the network, “positive and safe, especially in the comments on your photos and videos.” For companies who are using Instagram to boost their company’s brand identity or promote their workplace culture, here are the distinct benefits:
Employees will feel more comfortable being highlighted
Like any social network with a free form comment field, it can be difficult to get your employees to want to be featured on a feed. Why? It’s because outsiders can be quite cruel. Instagram stated, “sometimes the comments on their posts can be unkind.” However, now that the new filter dubbed Hide Inappropriate Comments has been instituted, this sort of mean problem should lessen and therefore your staff will be able to feel more comfortable with being the subject of fun photos.
After all, according to Instagram, “the beauty of the Instagram community is the diversity of its members. All different types of people — from diverse backgrounds, races, genders, sexual orientations, abilities and more — call Instagram home.”
Weekends aren’t a problem
We moderate all of our clients’ networks religiously, however, for those who don’t maintain a relationship with an agency such as ours weekends can be a scary time to leave those channels open. With the new feature that as SocialTimes noted, builds on the option of power user / celebrity self-moderation the typical company using Instagram will now have a much less difficult time keeping up with posts that are deemed harassment.
Of course, there will always be people out there who endeavor to make social networking negative, but a less pervasive amount of that aggression will be a positive change for companies everywhere, especially ones that want to build a recruitment brand identity around the theme of positive, genuine employee relations.
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