SOCIAL NETWORKS AND PRIVATE LIFE

INTERACTIONS BETWEEN COLLEAGUES ON PERSONAL SOCIAL PLATFORMS

The rise of social networking has blurred the line between private and professional life.

However, the law and corporate policies often maintain that harassment between co-workers, even if it occurs on external platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or X (Twitter), can have disciplinary repercussions if it affects the work environment.

Offensive, demeaning or sexually explicit comments on a colleague's posts are unacceptable.

Suppose composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart follows a fellow orchestra member on his personal social networks.

If Mozart starts leaving public comments about her physique on her vacation photos, or sends her private messages with indecent propositions through that social network, he is committing sexual harassment.

The fact that the interaction occurs on a "non-work" application does not exempt from liability, as the base relationship between the two is professional and the conduct impacts the dignity of the musician in her work.

RISKS OF SHARING EXPLICIT OR UNSOLICITED CONTENT

Sending sexually explicit material (photos, videos, graphic jokes) without consent is one of the most aggressive forms of digital harassment.

This is colloquially known as cyberflashing or sending unsolicited nudity.

Even sharing memes that objectify women or men, or that trivialize sexual violence, contributes to a hostile work environment.

Consent to a friendship on social networks does not equate to consent to receive intimate content.

If the painter Pablo Picasso sent erotic sketches or inappropriate photographs to Dora Maar (his fellow photographer) via direct message, and she had previously asked him to keep the relationship strictly professional, Picasso would be creating a hostile environment.

The excuse "it was just a joke" or "I thought you would like art" is not valid in the face of evidence of unwelcome sexual content.

CONSENT AND BOUNDARIES BETWEEN PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL

It is crucial to understand that access to a colleague's digital life does not grant rights to his or her privacy.

The fact that an employee posts photos in a bathing suit or in social situations on his or her private profile is not an invitation for co-workers to make sexual comments about it in the office or online.

Professional boundaries must remain intact regardless of the personal information available online. Imagine Queen Victoria working in a modern office.

If she shares photos of her family vacation on a private account and her colleague, Prime Minister Disraeli, uses those images to make suggestive comments about her appearance during a team meeting or in a company group chat, she is violating professional boundaries.

Disraeli must respect the separation between the public/digital and professional persona by avoiding sexualizing his colleague's private life.

SUMMARY

Peer harassment on personal social networks can have disciplinary repercussions if the offensive or sexual comments impact the professional environment and affect the employee's dignity at work.

Sending unsolicited sexually explicit content (cyberflashing) or sharing memes that objectify individuals constitutes serious aggression that contributes to a hostile work environment.

Accessing private profiles does not grant privacy rights; sexualizing personal vacation photos of a colleague or commenting on his or her private life in the office violates professional boundaries.