Inappropriate Use Digital Media

I worked with a woman who lost her job because of an inappropriate use of Facebook. She openly shared her thoughts on the job and revealed information that was private and it got back to management who promptly located the Facebook post and fired her for violating company policy. The woman viewed it as an innocent post and believed it was private or not subject to termination (even though the company handbook clearly stated it was a violation). It made me wonder if anything I’d ever posted could be used against me and then it made me concerned. While the post was inappropriate and the woman should not have been sharing information pertaining to the work environment, there is something slightly worrisome about the level of fear being created with regards to social media posts. I’m not sure it is creating a positive environment for people if they're constantly having to wonder and worry about whether or not someone is going to find a post inappropriate or not. The digital world has lost it’s “wild west” sensibilities and has become more democratized and monetized, and I’m not sure that’s for the better. However, in this case, knowing it violated company policy, the woman should have known better and should have been aware that she was also friends with people who also worked at the company and someone was going to alert management. Again, the digital world is not private, in anyway.