Elena Kagan v. the social media generation: a rise to greatness?

I’ve read a lot of articles lately about Elena Kagan, who President Obama has recently nominated to the Supreme Court, and her incredible ambition. Her career path has been one of a single-minded focus on her ultimate career goal: becoming Supreme Court justice. Even at the young age of 17, she posed for her high school yearbook photo wearing a judge’s robe and cited a quote by another Supreme Court Justice, Felix Frankfurter.

But what has she had to give up for this career growth? Other than a few of her views on executive power and gay rights, it seems difficult to gain an understanding into her worldview. She’s made it a point, throughout her career, to put her career first and her ideologies second. Kagan has been very careful and calculated throughout her career. She’s been careful not to reveal too much about herself or express “radical” or unpopular opinions. So today, she’s (almost) achieved her childhood dream. You could say she’s achieved great success through a linearly defined and meteoric rise. Is such success worth being so withdrawn? Is it worth achieving greatness if you don’t make your mark on the world through your ideology? Ultimately, those people who make a difference are NOT those who remain silent, but those who do whatever it takes to achieve their vision of what the world should be like. Elena Kagan has done a lot of great things, but I wouldn’t venture to say she’s changed the world (yet): she doesn’t express any ideology that drives her to do what she does. Instead, all we see is pursuit of a career goal.

But, I wonder what will be said of today’s young social media gurus: all of us, the next generation of leaders. For those of us who express our opinions frankly all over the Internet, and are even willing to look like an idiot in order to stand by our beliefs, how is our Internet presence going to affect our future careers? If Elena Kagan had grown up today, would she have such a clear record, or would you find her opinions and thoughts strewn over the social web — Twitter, Facebook, blogging, or even something as innocuous as Google Reader? In today’s world, is it even possible to guard your views so carefully, or is it simply too hard to resist the pull of social media?

Our generation leaves behind a clear paper trail behind of our political and economic views, our passions, our likes and dislikes, mundane information like what we had for breakfast, and even who we’re dating. Nowadays, nothing is sacred. Privacy is dead. I’m pretty open but I draw the line at a certain point; many go much further, splashing the intimate details of their personal lives all over their blogs. Years later, how many of us will be looking back on our past posts and thinking: “I wish I hadn’t blogged or tweeted about that!” For those of us who will eventually enter politics or any prominent positions, how will our online personas shape the way we’re perceived? The next generation of politicians, corporate leaders, non-profit executives, and supreme court justices will undoubtedly have a much harder time keeping their views a secret.

Personally, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with transparency. In fact, I love it. But, transparency CAN ruin careers if there is not enough tolerance among the general public. If you’re running for or taking on any public post (or even a prominent corporate/non-profit role), you certainly don’t want to leave behind a list of blog posts that offend people who you want to appeal to – whether they are voters, consumers, or donors.

But, at the same time, I don’t think I’d ever want to choose a career which required me to hide my views. Because I shape my career around my views. I would never take on a role if it doesn’t mesh perfectly with my passions, my views, and my ideology. The way I look at the world, the injustices I observe around me, and my political views are not separate from my career. They ARE my career. It seems to me that social media, by expressing who you really are, also holds you accountable: it forces you to align your online self with the choices you make in real life. It forces you to stay true to yourself because now — hundreds are watching. Social media makes it more difficult to be a professional hypocrite. So, I see nothing wrong with expressing my views fully and unabashedly. After all, if a job requires me to hide my passions or change my political views — I sure as hell don’t want it! (Let’s just hope I never regret these words…)

What do you think about online transparency in our generation and our future career paths, particularly in politics? Would you hide your views if it meant getting ahead in your career? Or do you shape your career around who you are?

http://www.squidoo.com/lensmasters/guardianstar77 guardianstar77

I don't think it is ever in our best interests to hide who we truly are. I do think sometimes we get so lost in the pursuit of a goal that we FORGET who we are. However, if anyone cares to follow a person closely enough, eventually that person's true nature will show itself. Followers may be sorely disappointed when they discover the “real” person behind the mask. Ms Kagan may have been successful thus far in suppressing her ideologies in order to achieve her goal; but, if elected, she will have to vote — then the world will clearly know where she stands. I think it is unfortunate, however, that we will never really know until after she sits on the bench (if that happens). Thanks for this intriguing and challenging post.
http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

I completely agree. We shouldn't have to hide who we really are, whether it is in social media, in academic publishing, personal life, or our careers. It's true that people can get caught up in their passion that they sacrifice everything to get to the top, but I remain convinced that the best way to achieve your dream is to simply be YOURSELF and to display that inner you to the world. You won't get ahead or truly achieve your dreams if you try to hide who you are or try to show a different face. People have a way of finding out things.

I too wish we knew where Elena Kagan stands, but we won't know until she begins her work on the Supreme Court.
saragallagher

Akhila, great post. I wonder if the ubiquity of social media might eventually create a political climate that is more tolerant of “changing your mind.” Before social media, changing your stance on a position was considered an intellectual or moral flaw; “flip flopping,” as it were. But with our daily and sometimes hourly updates on opinions, issues, and questions…total consistency is an impossibility.
http://akhilak.com/blog Akhila

That's an interesting possibility, Sara. I don't know if we will be more open to flip flopping or changing your mind amongst politicians, but we might simply be able to weed out more candidates as we would more easily know their past background. But it's also possible that almost all politicians will be perceived as “flip flopping,” and as a result, we'll be forced to become more flexible and more open to politicians' backgrounds. This might level the playing field, but who knows. Maybe candidates who manage to keep off the social media radar might actually end up being more successful since they're more unknown!