Description
As greater numbers of businesses report using social media to screen job applicants, it is important to explore the relationship between social media and expectations of professionalism. Women’s professional identities are constrained by gender norms, and the tension is amplified by the growing prevalence of social media usage among working age women. This tension becomes further knotted when sex-positive attitudes are becoming increasingly common among this age group, as well. In order to achieve success in organizations, women must negotiate these tensions, using strategies, which this study addressed using semi-structured interviews and social media elicitation. Results demonstrated that participants negotiated a knot of tensions characterized by three dimensions, including (1) open – closed, (2) curated – authentic, and (3) objectified – empowered; the knot was negotiated through four strategies, including (1) shielding, (2) managing audience, (3) timing control, and (4) aligning with shared cultural experiences. These results offer implications for the relationship between expectations of professionalism and social media. Keywords: professional identity, sex-positivity, women, organizational tensions, social media
