Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use 💛 Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use
Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use 💛 Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use
Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use 💛 Fjalla One and Inter Display are used under the terms of free license for commercial use
The Struggle is Real: Social Media Management and Mental Health
The Struggle is Real: Social Media Management and Mental Health
5 minutes read - Written by Jon-Stephen Stansel
5 minutes read - Written by Jon-Stephen Stansel
Social Media Management
Mental Health
Current Issues
State of Social Media Managers
The Occupational Hazards of Being a Social Media Manager
2020 is already shaping up to be a rough year for all of us. Logging into social media every day our feeds are filled with new things to fill us with outrage, fear, and sadness. Throw a contentious election year on top of that and you've got a perfect storm of anger and negativity.
This is bad enough for the average person just reading the news of the day. But what if it's your job to be on social media 24/7? What if logging off or deleting your account just isn't an option for you?
For social media managers, this is a fact of life; an occupational hazard if you will.
2020 is already shaping up to be a rough year for all of us. Logging into social media every day our feeds are filled with new things to fill us with outrage, fear, and sadness. Throw a contentious election year on top of that and you've got a perfect storm of anger and negativity.
This is bad enough for the average person just reading the news of the day. But what if it's your job to be on social media 24/7? What if logging off or deleting your account just isn't an option for you?
For social media managers, this is a fact of life; an occupational hazard if you will.
2020 is already shaping up to be a rough year for all of us. Logging into social media every day our feeds are filled with new things to fill us with outrage, fear, and sadness. Throw a contentious election year on top of that and you've got a perfect storm of anger and negativity.
This is bad enough for the average person just reading the news of the day. But what if it's your job to be on social media 24/7? What if logging off or deleting your account just isn't an option for you?
For social media managers, this is a fact of life; an occupational hazard if you will.
Treating Digital Harm Like Physical Danger
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
The Daily Gauntlet of Online Hostility
Every day social media managers are exposed to nasty comment threads and hateful direct messages to their brand accounts. The brands they work for are tagged in Tweets that have nothing to do with them, but still require monitoring. Replies to posts often hyper-critical of every detail, often reading "Fire your social media intern!" in response to an unpopular post. This anger doesn't stop at demands to be fired, some social media managers have even received death threats because someone didn't like posts made from a brand account.
The pressure on social media professionals runs high.
And heaven help you if you ever make a typo.
Every day social media managers are exposed to nasty comment threads and hateful direct messages to their brand accounts. The brands they work for are tagged in Tweets that have nothing to do with them, but still require monitoring. Replies to posts often hyper-critical of every detail, often reading "Fire your social media intern!" in response to an unpopular post. This anger doesn't stop at demands to be fired, some social media managers have even received death threats because someone didn't like posts made from a brand account.
The pressure on social media professionals runs high.
And heaven help you if you ever make a typo.
Every day social media managers are exposed to nasty comment threads and hateful direct messages to their brand accounts. The brands they work for are tagged in Tweets that have nothing to do with them, but still require monitoring. Replies to posts often hyper-critical of every detail, often reading "Fire your social media intern!" in response to an unpopular post. This anger doesn't stop at demands to be fired, some social media managers have even received death threats because someone didn't like posts made from a brand account.
The pressure on social media professionals runs high.
And heaven help you if you ever make a typo.
Canaries in the Digital Coal Mine
They are also the canary in the coal mine for crisis communications, acting as an early warning system to problems that might cause trouble for their brands. Social media managers must monitor conversations surrounding their brand, being constantly vigilant for complaints or negative conversations surrounding the brand they represent.
There are times when as a social media manager, you feel all this online anger is being directed at you. And while it's vital that a social media manager separate themselves from that brand. (I daily repeat the mantra "I am not the brand I work for.") This is no easy task when your computer and your phone constantly alert you to comments directed at "you." "YOU suck," "What are YOU going to do about this?" "YOU are bad at your job."
As a social media manager, you know not to take it personally. You develop a thick skin. But it wears you down.
They are also the canary in the coal mine for crisis communications, acting as an early warning system to problems that might cause trouble for their brands. Social media managers must monitor conversations surrounding their brand, being constantly vigilant for complaints or negative conversations surrounding the brand they represent.
There are times when as a social media manager, you feel all this online anger is being directed at you. And while it's vital that a social media manager separate themselves from that brand. (I daily repeat the mantra "I am not the brand I work for.") This is no easy task when your computer and your phone constantly alert you to comments directed at "you." "YOU suck," "What are YOU going to do about this?" "YOU are bad at your job."
As a social media manager, you know not to take it personally. You develop a thick skin. But it wears you down.
They are also the canary in the coal mine for crisis communications, acting as an early warning system to problems that might cause trouble for their brands. Social media managers must monitor conversations surrounding their brand, being constantly vigilant for complaints or negative conversations surrounding the brand they represent.
There are times when as a social media manager, you feel all this online anger is being directed at you. And while it's vital that a social media manager separate themselves from that brand. (I daily repeat the mantra "I am not the brand I work for.") This is no easy task when your computer and your phone constantly alert you to comments directed at "you." "YOU suck," "What are YOU going to do about this?" "YOU are bad at your job."
As a social media manager, you know not to take it personally. You develop a thick skin. But it wears you down.
Treating Digital Harm Like Physical Danger
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
So, let's approach it like an occupational hazard. If your employees were going into an unsafe physical space, you'd make sure they were protected, right? Hard hats and brightly colored vests are required for construction workers working on highways. Hearing protection is required for those working around airplanes and other high noise areas.
So what about the hazards faced by those working on social media?
2025
Comments Deleted: Social Media Commenting Policy
2025
Comments Deleted: Social Media Commenting Policy
2025
Comments Deleted: Social Media Commenting Policy
2025
Social Media Shouldn't Be An Entry-Level Position
2025
Social Media Shouldn't Be An Entry-Level Position
2025
Social Media Shouldn't Be An Entry-Level Position