Social Media. It is the cornerstone of our generation. We are able to sum up our lives in 160 characters or less, and let the world experience the day we are having right along side us. We are able to instantaneously take, develop, and edit photos, while tagging them to let our friends know that we are thinking about them. We want people to remember us, even the mundane things we do. We want people to get to know us through a virtual world that seems infinite. But rarely do we think about the negative impact of what we post. The consequences of a photo, the impact of a status. Hardly ever do we stop and think “maybe this isn’t a good idea.” We just go ahead and post it because it is what we are actually doing with our lives. After all, if we are living it other people might want to know about it, right? Wrong.
A few weeks ago, I was approached by one of my advisors for a club that I am in, when she advised me that I might want to change my profile picture that I had on Facebook. When she mentioned this, I was taken aback. I was confused as to why she had found me on Facebook. I was confused as to what was wrong with the photo … I didn’t think my profile picture was scandalous, racy, or provocative. I honestly had made it my profile picture because I felt I looked pretty, and I wanted to share that. She told me that she herself had not found my profile but ,rather, was approached by someone else who commented on it in a negative way. She was essentially questioning my qualification for the position I held in the club based on my profile picture.
This triggered other thoughts. Why had this person been looking me up? What did they find wrong with my photo? Who is this person to judge me? After my initial shock and anger that someone had actually questioned who I was and my ability as an officer in my club, I realized that this person actually does have every right to judge me based on my profile picture. I had posted it publicly to the Internet, a place where there are no boundaries for who can find me. I left myself open to the comments and criticisms that the public had, even if they didn’t tell me directly.
What if that had been a potential employer? Would they have seen that photo, questioned who I was outside of the work place and not offered me a job? It was a real wake-up call, and I spent the better part of the next two days carefully combing through my photos and status’, making private some things that had before been public.
Now, you maybe asking what this has to do with you. Maybe you think that don’t post anything provocative, or that can be construed as controversial. Perhaps you’re wondering why this article pertains to you. You should listen because I didn’t think I had done anything wrong either. I honestly hadn’t thought about someone other than my friends finding me on my social media accounts and passing judgement. Of course I know that many employers now scan social media to see if a potential employee is a good candidate but I never really thought that what I believed to be normal everyday information actually seems outlandish to an outside spectator..
My advisor told me this from a standpoint of a lesson. he said to me that, as a junior, I would want to start making my public pictures more professional. Though this hurt because I honestly thought I didn’t do anything wrong, I realized that if someone is getting the wrong impression of me from a mere photograph, having never met me or spoken to me, perhaps I needed to make a change.
So, what can you do to prevent this from happening? Go to your social media sites, and take a look at what your page looks like from an outsider’s perspective. Many social media sites have a button that allows you to view your profile from a public standpoint, so you are able to see what is actually public on your page. This is a great way to decide what should stay and what should go. Go through your photos and think carefully about what you would want a potential employer, a potential relationship partner, or even your grandma to see. Maybe that photo of you holding a beer next to your best friend is your favorite photo of you two, but how would it look to someone who wants to hire you? Perhaps that selfie you took last night was the cutest picture ever, but maybe it is too racy to be public.
How you portray yourself on social media is critical. After all, you only get one shot at a first impression, and in today’s society sometimes that first impression isn’t even in person!
With all the information that is literally at our fingertips, we can feel unstoppable and even sneaky behind a screen. Online you can be anyone you want to be, but why would you want to be anyone but you? You are the only you there is, no one else can be that. Please don’t think that I’m saying not to ever post pictures of you from a party, or you kissing your significant other. I’m just saying to be careful how you decide to show the world who you are. They say that a picture is worth 1,000 words …
What do you want people to be saying about you?
Take a look at this photo. This is the photo that I was told might not be appropriate by my advisor.
What do you think? Is it too scandalous? Does it look like something you might have posted?