The Fear of Advocating in the Digital Age
Growing up in Los Angeles, I have never seen a shortage of strong opinions. For the majority of the time, Southern California lives up to its liberal and eccentric stereotype. When I was younger, unapologetically voicing my opinion was consistently encouraged by my environment. So why then, when LinkedIn’s student editorial calendar gave me the prompt to write about something I advocate for, did voicing my opinion become such a difficult decision?
Ideological Differences
During my studies at the University of California Irvine, I took an incredible class called the Economics of Religion. In the class, the professor took a look at different religions as if they were business firms and applied particular economic principles to explain major changes in Christianity, Judaism, and Islam. When defining terms, he differentiated a religious sect and church based on the religion’s level of ideological difference with its surrounding environment. For example, Protestantism was considered an established church in Texas while it was considered a sect in India due to the large Muslim and Hindi populations in the country.
Preparing for Change
Much like my professor’s definitions, we always have to take in consideration our surrounding ideology, especially when discussing controversial issues. Being very outwardly opinionated regarding LGBT issues is generally accepted in Los Angeles, but may be more controversial in Alabama due to the political climate in both those areas. Knowing that international business is one of the areas I hope to explore after college, I realized that this was the true source of my apprehension in advocating for something.
Social Media’s Role in Recruiting
We have all probably heard the horror stories of young adults being fired, or not even hired in the first place, due to a post on Facebook or some other social media platform. Whether Millennials are comfortable with it or not, our online persona affects our professional image and opportunities. There is always the fear that what you advocate for, may not align perfectly with a future company or culture that you choose to live in.
But what about the idea that you wouldn’t want to work for a company that doesn’t align with your values? Some would say that there is no perfect company and some would argue that you shouldn’t settle for a company that does not align with your beliefs. What do you think? Leave a comment below!
This post was written as part of the #Advocate series, which is tied to LinkedIn’s student editorial calendar. If you are a USC student and would like to expand your network with LinkedIn Pulse, PM me regarding the LinkedIn #StudentVoices program.
Student at Washington middle
8 年Ich genie?e dieses k?stliche Essen und planen, es wieder zu essen
Mechanical Engineer at Cool Innovations
8 年Good article, but I think you are sort of missing the boat. When you said, "When I was younger, unapologetically voicing my opinion was consistently encouraged by my environment, " what you seem to have meant was that when you were in an environment where your opinion was popular, you had no problem voicing it. When you went out into the world, you realized that there are people who disagree, sometimes strongly, and you suddenly became less comfortable stating your opinion. What you did when you were younger wasn't advocacy, it was participating in a sounding board, where people could safely hear their own opinions bounced back at them. The reality that you've now experienced isn't a bad thing. People need to realize that the issues that are contentious tend to be contentious for a reason. The first skill to pick up isn't choosing your battles. It's actually listening with an open mind. Most such issues are not black and white. You don't have to ultimately agree, but if you don't know why the other side believes the way they do (and generally not because they're racist, ignorant, or stupid), you probably don't have a clue what it is you're actually discussing. Actual advocacy requires taking a risk that others might now like what you have to say, and saying it anyway. It's up to you to decide when that risk is worth taking. (Or you can be a jerk like me and post rather unpopular opinions publicly - see: https://www.dhirubhai.net/pulse/transgender-people-do-exist-steven-weinberg )
Software Quality Assurance Analyst/Software Tester
8 年Was a very good analyst and good at what I did. After a long time I learned that I need to give my time and effort to companies, teams and causes that are important to me. Life is way too short to waste working on fulfilling your managers goals and dreams.
Student at Focus training institute
8 年People don't understand that, if we stand together for a serious movement. The government has no other choice but to give us what we want. What are the tax-payers paying taxes for then???