Social media plays an increasingly pivotal role in our lives, and an ability to use these systems is certainly an advantage both socially and professionally. However, it seems rather excessive to say that ignorance of these matters will ‘always’ restrict people’s careers, and I will explain why. Firstly, career progression relies on a whole range of factors, not only on the use of social media. For example, a professional person will have a range of qualifications, ranging from academic exams to vocational certificates and membership of professional bodies. We see this in the way that successful doctors take increasingly specialised qualifications and join specific institutes to develop their skills. Here, social media may be a communication tool, but is surely not the driving force behind success. Secondly, career development relies greatly on interpersonal skills such as presentation methods, persuasiveness and negotiation, all of which are used in face-to-face situations rather t...