# The Myth of Work Networks By:: [[Brian Heath]] 2024-09-17 Outside of a few improbable situations, one's past work is unlikely to follow them throughout their career. If one leaves a job on bad terms, it's doubtful it will have any long-term effect. Of course, there are exceptions to this but think of all the people one knows. Now think of those who are categorically bad workers, liars, cheats, subpar, or had a really bad work situation unfold, whether it was their fault or not. How many of them have been negatively impacted in the long term? In all likelihood, it's very few. Yet, why do so many people care so much about their work reputation to the point that they remain locked into a bad situation or unable to be authentic and reach their full potential? It's partly because, in small tribes, reputation matters. We are no longer in small tribe land. It's easy to pick up and move to a new tribe, and most people are too lazy to check references or to be endlessly vindictive to ruin one's life once one has left. However, the other part is that corporations and capitalistic cultures perpetuate this myth as it's very advantageous for them to keep people in line. If this still seems a bit wrong, consider the opposite. How many people have done something significant to help someone else's career? Compared to everyone one knows, it is very little, if at all. This is the same myth, but backward. Networks that help and hurt individuals only work when they are small and personal. It is a myth that having large networks on social media platforms does anything to help one's career. But, because it is advantageous for these social media platforms, they continue to peddle the idea that building one's network is the most important thing. Network theory is interesting and worth studying, but do not confuse it with randomness and small tribe, personal connections. Few will go out of their way to help or hurt someone. These are things that our culture and society have wrong. Just because a few stories exist of someone helping someone or hurting someone via some work network does not mean it is the dominant effect seen in life. Quite the opposite. If it weren't so unlikely, it wouldn't be a story worth telling. #### Related Items [[Capitalism]] [[Networking]] [[Work]] [[Society]] [[Culture]] [[Myths]] [[Social Media]] [[Social Networks]]