Remember that one epic party where you had tons of fun and everyone wanted to be in a picture with you? Remember that one time where you did the craziest thing and had your friends document it? Or maybe remember that one trip you went on and you had an absolute blast because of all of the wild things you did?
I bet most of you reading this are active on at least two major social media sharing networks (e.g. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, YouTube, Tumblr, etc.) and all of you remember a time like I just described. Do you remember the photos/videos from all of those events? Did they make it onto social media? Did you post about it on social media?
Maybe these pictures you took at the time were exhilarating, a way of showing others how cool you were, but now, take a moment and reflect about if those images were a good idea to post. Photos of you being reckless, breaking laws or doing something distasteful/inappropriate are probably photos you shouldn’t want others to see on your social media pages.
A good rule of thumb I live by is, “if you don’t want your grandma to see those photos (or guess about what’s happening in those photos), you probably shouldn’t post them.” You never know who is looking at your social media pages (especially if your privacy settings are a little more lax). Right now is probably a good time to check your settings. Facebook is updating its privacy basics now so you can be more in tune with their policies. Anyway, you never know who may be looking at your social pages—whether it’s a potential employee, your teacher from elementary school, your ex’s current girlfriend, your dad’s coworker, your professor or a distant family member. You want to show yourself in the best light (in your opinion to them).
Your social media profiles are an extension of yourself. It’s always better to be more conservative so you don’t come off in a negative light. Watch what you say and how you say it. What seems like a harmless post could be could your job. And, remember that some things are for your (and your friends’) eyes only.
Believe it or not, people actually get fired over posting on social media. This article from TIME details 10 social media crimes that people of our generation tend to commit. A few are the following: drinking alcohol in a photo, complaining about your job, bashing your team/boss and sharing sexually explicit materials.
Maybe you’re the life of the party and the center of attention at events like these, or maybe you’re a friend who likes to be in on the action but doesn’t like the leading role. You have a voice and a presence on social media that doesn’t go unseen and I recommend you keep that image clean so no one ever doubts your professionalism or likeability as a person in the future.