04-28-2025
The impact of technology — especially social media — on personal-professional boundaries is one of the most gripping challenges of our time. This was the focus of “Personal & Professional Boundaries: The Role of Online Social Relationships,” a talk delivered by Nancy Rothbard, David Pottruck Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, as part of the Center for Working Well’s Spring 2025 Distinguished Speaker Series at Purdue’s Daniels School of Business.
Historically, there was more separation between work and non-work life, but technology has transformed that, blurring boundaries in ways we often cannot control. Even if we want to keep work and personal life separate, the choice is often no longer ours, Rothbard said.
Social media platforms differ in how much they integrate or separate personal and professional life. LinkedIn, for example, has traditionally been more professional, but even there, people are increasingly posting personal content, further blurring boundaries. The real issue is that, with online social media, the different groups in our lives — family, friends, colleagues — are now all potentially part of the same audience. In the past, these groups would only meet at major life events like weddings or funerals. Now, they overlap daily in digital spaces, often in ways we don’t anticipate.
That makes the central challenge our “invisible audience.” When we post online, we often think of a specific group, but the reality is that our audience is much wider, including people from different contexts in our lives. This can lead to misunderstandings or unintended consequences.
Rothbard shared an example of what happened when a rabbi saw a seemingly innocuous photo posted on a Saturday by one of his employees. He interpreted it through the lens of religious expectations. The employee was mortified and blocked her boss, who had approached her about the fact that her role at the synagogue made her a representative of its practices.
Intense self-disclosure is at the heart of social media, and it takes platform-savvy and intentional effort to restrict who sees what. Unlike face-to-face interactions, which tailor to who is in the room, online posts are persistent and easily reshared, making it difficult to control who sees them and how they are interpreted.
Hierarchy and gender further complicate the management of online boundaries, Rothbard said. People are most comfortable connecting with peers online, while connecting with bosses or subordinates is fraught with discomfort and risk. Accepting a supervisor’s friend request can feel intrusive, while rejecting it may be perceived as disrespectful or damaging to one’s career.
Rejecting or ignoring connection requests can have real consequences, Rothbard’s studies have found. Subordinates who reject a boss’s request may find that the boss is less willing to support their career advancement. Conversely, bosses who are rejected feel slighted and may withdraw support.
This unevenness has a gender component, she said. Male bosses are more likely to take declined friend requests personally, while male subordinates refused by peers do not. Because women are expected to be warmer and more open, more self-disclosure increases this perception. However, when women are not open, they may be labeled as “cold” or “aloof,” which can negatively impact their professional relationships. Female bosses who disclose personal information online are more likely to have their requests accepted, as this aligns with gender role expectations, but the same does not hold true for male bosses.
Given these challenges, employees need strategies for managing their online connections. Four primary frameworks have emerged:
Pick the strategy that aligns with your goals, skills, and context, Rothbard said. The open and audience strategies are about self-verification, while the content and custom strategies are more about self-enhancement and impression management. The custom strategy, in particular, requires significant skill and attention to detail.
Rothbard encouraged professionals to let their strategies evolve as they progress in their careers or as roles change. What works as a peer may not work as a manager. Her findings note that organizational culture, family background, and even national culture can influence a person’s preferred approach.
Ultimately, managing online boundaries is a social skill that demands ongoing reflection and adaptation. Employees should regularly check privacy settings, be intentional about online connections, and stay informed about their organization’s social media policies. Education and awareness are key, as is recognizing that too much information can be as problematic as too little. As technology continues to evolve, so too must our strategies for navigating the complex interplay of personal and professional life online.
