Influencing Shouldn't Be Professional

As an aspiring lawyer, I love watching “Day in My Life” videos of attorneys. These TikTokers give great advice about applying to law school, what law school is like and different career paths. However, as I am watching attorneys type away depositions and go through trial preparations, I can’t help but wonder: By filming themselves at their jobs, are they crossing a line, especially in a client-based industry that is ultimately meant to help people? And how much should they really be sharing about their careers on the internet?

On the surface, it’s logical for people to make content of their jobs. For more mundane careers, vlogging your 9-5 is a great way to express yourself creatively in a way you may not be able to on the clock. Viewers consuming this type of content gravitate toward self-described professionals for advice because they have more direct experience in the field; their experience makes them feel more realistic than somebody branded as a “law school influencer” or a “teacher influencer” who doesn’t actually have much real-world experience.

However, there is an inherent risk in making your content revolve around your job: What happens if the job goes away? A TikToker who worked in BigLaw (another word for corporate law), allegedly got fired for posting content. Whether this is true or not, TikToker @domhdc echoed the rationale behind the alleged firing, saying “you did not spend all this money to get legal knowledge to become an influencer.” In that same video, many comments agreed: lawyers should not be posting content. Other lawyers on TikTok chimed in, saying it’s “frowned upon” for attorneys to have a large social media presence, similar to going on a reality TV show.

If these influencer lawyers get fired, they lose the basis of their online content, since their online brands revolve around their careers. Other users in attorney’s TikTok comments went on to say that they wouldn’t want their attorneys with large social media presences because of certain advertising and consumer protection restrictions. By using their profession as a “side hustle,” lawyer influencers simply found themselves trapped in the 9-5 matrix of their jobs instead of breaking out on the internet. This is particularly worrisome because there is no longer a separation of work-life balance.

It’s not just lawyers though — corporate influencers are also getting fired for going against their companies and clients. TikTok user @martinifeeny, who used to work for one of the biggest luxury fashion brands in the world, got fired from her job for calling her clients — so-called New York City “influencers” — boring. Of course, not many professional influencers are actively going out of their way to talk bad about their clients, but this example serves as a reminder that what influencers post online has serious consequences in real life. 

This phenomenon isn’t new. TikTokers have been talking about K-12 teachers posting their students online for ages. Some argue that because parents signed a “media release,” they are allowed to feature their students. However, these teachers fail to realize that media releases are for the school’s purposes, not their own personal online purposes. They shouldn’t exploit on their students for content, period. Even the most wholesome TikToks of teacher content tend to draw on kids for views. One such case are teachers who do the New York Times Wordle with their students – it’s cute and could serve as inspiration for other young teachers, but why feature their conversations? Why record it live? How does this help the kids?

Similarly, various therapists have been called out for talking about sensitive topics. It’s okay to be vague about certain scenarios, but some conversation topics are not meant for the entire internet’s eyes. Using your client’s problems for professional gain is, to put it bluntly, disgusting, illegal and exploitative. It is also a huge breach of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.

The whole notion of influencers is that they are trying to sell you something. While some jobs might benefit from a deeper look into the reality of the career, for some professions, like healthcare, it goes directly against one of the core values of the industry: You are in the industry to help people, or that should at least be one of the biggest reasons for going into the profession. By profiting off of clients, “professional” influencers are harming not just the people they promised to help, but also risk losing their jobs if they aren’t careful enough.

Some influencers, however, do it right. There is one lawyer, Tay (@thecorporatedogmom), who is very transparent about her journey and her life in BigLaw. Tay does not make her clients the centerpiece of her content – rather, her experiences, her law school journey and even her life outside of her job comprise the majority of her videos. More influencers in client-based professions should focus on their own personal experiences rather than use their platforms as a basis for exploitation.

It’s important to exercise your best judgment if you are a professional influencer. If you tie your online persona to your work persona, make sure that whatever professionalism you maintain in the workplace extends to your online presence. Read your employment contract and don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your boss seeing. Don’t forget, it’s not the people on your screen who are truly paying your bills, but the people behind it. 

Daily Arts Contributor Liv Frey can be reached at [email protected].