- February 2, 2022
- Workers' Compensation
Your social media activity could be why your workers’ compensation claim was devalued. Since the late 1990s when social media platforms were first created, the sector has witnessed massive growth, with Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram becoming mainstream.
More people have joined these platforms in the last decade, and about 4.48 billion people use at least one form of social media. That means about half of the world’s population is on social media.
The creation and subsequent adoption of social media have impacted nearly all aspects of our lives. Businesses now prefer to advertise to customers on Facebook and Instagram instead of billboards and newspapers. With Pew Research reporting that about half of US adults get their news from social media, individuals are not left out.
Facebook was recently embroiled in controversy after reports emerged showing that data from its users had been used to manipulate voters worldwide. This indicates that social media is powerful and could affect our lives positively or negatively.
One area that social media could potentially affect is a workers’ compensation claim. This article looks at whether social media can affect your workers’ compensation claim and how to prevent it.
Can Social Media Affect My Workers’ Compensation Claim?
To answer the question, yes. Social media can affect your workers’ compensation claim negatively or positively. According to the American Bar Association, social media posts can constitute evidence at trial. Therefore, you can expect that insurance adjusters and your employer’s lawyers will access your accounts for anything that they can use against you. In addition, employers and insurance adjusters investigate claims because of workers’ compensation fraud.
How to Protect Yourself While Filing a Workers’ Compensation Claim
Social media is integral to the life and work of many people. Therefore, it is important to know how to protect yourself on social media as you file a workers’ compensation claim. This section shares a few helpful tips.
Limit Your Use
One way to protect yourself while you file a workers’ compensation claim is to limit your use. This may be hard, especially if social media has been a major part of your life, but it is the intelligent thing to do. One way to limit your use of social media is to desist from making any posts.
You never know which posts could be used to devalue your case. So you should also be careful about what you say to people, including friends. You should also reach out to friends to ask them not to make any posts that could affect you.
Change Your Privacy Settings
By default, the privacy settings of most platforms allow your posts to be seen by everyone. However, they also make provisions for users to change it. Unfortunately, not many people do this, and as a result, their posts are viewed by everyone.
Changing your privacy settings helps you control who sees your posts and is essential even if you have not filed a workers’ compensation claim. Taking this a step further, you should not accept new friend requests while your workers’ compensation claim is still being settled. An insurance adjuster could be at the other end of those friend requests.
Do Not Delete Previous Posts
If you have made any posts that you suspect could harm your case, do not delete them as it could be interpreted as destroying evidence. Instead, leave them on but bring them to your lawyer’s attention. They should know if it could harm your case.
While posting on social media could be harmful, on the flip side, it could also help your case. Posts about your injury, recovery, and the treatment you are receiving could be helpful in your case. For example, your posts’ timing could help corroborate the timeline of your injury.
The bottom line for social media usage is moderation. If you have doubts about a potential post, you may be better off holding off on it. However, it is also essential that you tell your lawyer about any post that you think could affect your case and let them decide on a course of action.
Talk to Workers’ Compensation Lawyers in Atlanta
Getting injured while working can be a frustrating experience. Sometimes, that could worsen if an employer is hesitant about paying workers’ compensation benefits. If you’ve been injured at work and find your employer using your social media activity to avoid paying your benefits, you need an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer.
Each case is different and would require tailor-made strategies to achieve success. Our team comprises experienced lawyers who understand the intricacies of Atlanta’s workers’ compensation laws. Therefore, we are best placed to represent you. Schedule a free consultation with us today.
