Rebecca Mathews Junior Editor
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| FILTER BEFORE YOU FORUM: Posting something on a social network is as permanent as getting a tattoo. These posts can be associated with someone forever |
Logging into Facebook has long been like signing into the diaries of roughly 150 of our ‘closest friends.’ That fact alone is laughable to me. Many users are friends with total strangers on social networks, inviting everyone to view the newest drama of the day. When I truly think about it, this online, real-life soap opera is a major hindrance to our lives.
Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, at this point in time many of us teens have sucked into the social networking world. We’ve become addicted to this lifestyle and on average, teens check their profiles ten or more times a day. This has become an unhealthy obsession with technology that originated for quicker social interaction. Walking down the halls of any school, through a mall, or even outside at a park, society is consumed in their smartphones looking up something on the internet, or more often than not, getting sucked into a social network such as Facebook.
Now, I’m not trying to trash social networks entirely. I too have joined this mass internet world of social interaction. However, what I originally signed up for is no longer what I’m seeing. Rarely am I just on Facebook to communicate with my family friends in Australia, or to talk to my cousins in Texas, it seems that I am logging into my classmates’ journals reading about their weekend partying plans or hearing about someone’s traumatic break-up via a virtual rumor mill. It isn’t cute to post how “faded” you plan to get this weekend, or how crazy the biggest party was that Friday night. That isn’t just my opinion. 70 percent of job recruiters reject candidates based on information they find online. These social networks are public forums. Regardless of how secure you think your privacy settings are, it isn’t difficult to see someone’s profile and access their “private” information. 66 percent of Facebook users reportedly admit that they either did not know privacy controls existed, or they didn’t know how to use them.
It isn’t necessarily about what we post on our own pages either, 16 percent of teen users post videos that include friends and 41 percent post pictures of friends. This means that even if you aren’t responsible for a picture that depicts you promoting an irresponsible activity, an admissions officer can still access it, and you can still be penalized for your actions. Students are getting in trouble by university administrators for online violations of school policies and codes of conduct found on social networking sites. Let’s face it; this isn’t worth the trouble to illustrate one night of partying.
If that information isn’t enough to convince users to watch what is posted, possibly the fact that 1.5 million local businesses have active pages on Facebook can make a difference. That means 1.5 million potential employers can access information that’s posted. And, if someone is going to negatively portray their business, chances are they won’t hire you. What’s posted online is permanent. It can be deleted or deactivated, but don’t be surprised if one day you “google search” your name and it pops up again. As President Obama warned in an address to today’s students, “be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life.” Being in high school is a crucial time of our lives, and we must realize that our futures are potentially at stake due to the posts that portray us online. We have a responsibility to act as adults and depict ourselves as mature individuals who are ready to go on to the “real world,” not as party addicted, drama-crazed kids. The things we are posting online are prime examples of why we have this stamp of irresponsibility.
What you post online can impact your future in more ways than you think. If you aren’t comfortable with anyone seeing what you post, your mom, your future spouse, your future boss, or even a total stranger, don’t post it. If you have to think twice about whether or not it is appropriate, don’t put it on the internet. In order to gain back a positive title, realize that social networks were created for easier communication. Use them for what they were made for, and post responsibly.
Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, at this point in time many of us teens have sucked into the social networking world. We’ve become addicted to this lifestyle and on average, teens check their profiles ten or more times a day. This has become an unhealthy obsession with technology that originated for quicker social interaction. Walking down the halls of any school, through a mall, or even outside at a park, society is consumed in their smartphones looking up something on the internet, or more often than not, getting sucked into a social network such as Facebook.
Now, I’m not trying to trash social networks entirely. I too have joined this mass internet world of social interaction. However, what I originally signed up for is no longer what I’m seeing. Rarely am I just on Facebook to communicate with my family friends in Australia, or to talk to my cousins in Texas, it seems that I am logging into my classmates’ journals reading about their weekend partying plans or hearing about someone’s traumatic break-up via a virtual rumor mill. It isn’t cute to post how “faded” you plan to get this weekend, or how crazy the biggest party was that Friday night. That isn’t just my opinion. 70 percent of job recruiters reject candidates based on information they find online. These social networks are public forums. Regardless of how secure you think your privacy settings are, it isn’t difficult to see someone’s profile and access their “private” information. 66 percent of Facebook users reportedly admit that they either did not know privacy controls existed, or they didn’t know how to use them.
It isn’t necessarily about what we post on our own pages either, 16 percent of teen users post videos that include friends and 41 percent post pictures of friends. This means that even if you aren’t responsible for a picture that depicts you promoting an irresponsible activity, an admissions officer can still access it, and you can still be penalized for your actions. Students are getting in trouble by university administrators for online violations of school policies and codes of conduct found on social networking sites. Let’s face it; this isn’t worth the trouble to illustrate one night of partying.
If that information isn’t enough to convince users to watch what is posted, possibly the fact that 1.5 million local businesses have active pages on Facebook can make a difference. That means 1.5 million potential employers can access information that’s posted. And, if someone is going to negatively portray their business, chances are they won’t hire you. What’s posted online is permanent. It can be deleted or deactivated, but don’t be surprised if one day you “google search” your name and it pops up again. As President Obama warned in an address to today’s students, “be careful what you post on Facebook. Whatever you do, it will be pulled up again later somewhere in your life.” Being in high school is a crucial time of our lives, and we must realize that our futures are potentially at stake due to the posts that portray us online. We have a responsibility to act as adults and depict ourselves as mature individuals who are ready to go on to the “real world,” not as party addicted, drama-crazed kids. The things we are posting online are prime examples of why we have this stamp of irresponsibility.
What you post online can impact your future in more ways than you think. If you aren’t comfortable with anyone seeing what you post, your mom, your future spouse, your future boss, or even a total stranger, don’t post it. If you have to think twice about whether or not it is appropriate, don’t put it on the internet. In order to gain back a positive title, realize that social networks were created for easier communication. Use them for what they were made for, and post responsibly.
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Remember to be school appropriate!