I’m almost positive that we all have heard the following at some point in our lives: “Don’t post pictures with you holding a Solo cup,” “Don’t post anything that you will be embarrassed to see sober,” “Don’t do anything that Mom or Dad won’t approve of,” and the list goes on and on. I’m not going to lie and say that I haven’t made some questionable tweets, sent a regretful Snapchat, or even uploaded some not-so-appropriate Facebook pictures to my college album. I can guarantee that I am not the only one to have done these things. I’m sure many others have regretted taking risqué pictures and receiving the riot act from Mom and Dad who are on social media afterwards. However, I believe that despite these social media mistakes, lessons can be learned.
The idea of being conscientious about what we choose to upload on our different social media accounts is nothing new. But, I don’t think enough people are taking it seriously. More and more companies are starting to join the online community via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest and many more. The access that potential employers have on all social media profiles is downright scary.
Just because you have privacy settings on your Facebook pages, doesn’t mean that people can’t see things that you post, have been tagged in, or uploaded. Also, a lot of people do not implement privacy settings on their Twitter or Instagram accounts. Almost everyday, and especially on the weekends, I am surprised at some of the posts that I see through my newsfeeds. I’m not trying to tell people what they should be posting but tweets or Instagrams that reference illegal activities, feature excessive cursing, and in general inappropriate content probably should not be making up the bulk of your profile. It reflects poorly on you despite everything else that you have achieved and the goals that you are pursuing.
The direction that society is going in is completely different from five or ten years ago. Everything that we do is put online. Online resumes are becoming more popular than paper copies. In my opinion, I think the real problem behind what goes up on social media is that people don’t realize the repercussions that follow from posting mean tweets, embarrassing Snapchats, and other photos that make it onto Facebook. Your character and abilities will be called into question. It’s scary to think that one picture of you holding a cup or in a bar while you’re underage can potentially ruin everything.
I’m not here to say that you can’t post pictures of you and your friends from that awesome party last Friday night- just be smart about it. Put the solo cup down, hide it behind a friend’s back, or lower your arm that’s holding the cup so it can’t be seen in the photo. These are supposed to be the best four years of your life (and I can attest that I’m having a blast) but don’t ruin your future because you want to show people who view your social media that you’re “cool” and that you drink… I hate to break it to you, but so are a lot of other people. Remember ladies, to get the job where we can have the ability to purchase Christian Louboutins whenever we want, be careful the next time you tweet or post.