Online Presence
My Online Presence
I have been on social media since around the age of thirteen. My first social media was Instagram, and this was right around when this social media platform began to take off. I had a limited idea of how to use any form of social media, and it took some getting used to. Honestly, though, I can't remember what my first post ever was-- that would be interesting to find.
My first posts would be embarrassing to anyone. I was in sixth and seventh grade, and I did not know how to take a quality picture of anything. Ultimately, my original posts were eventually deleted and my Instagram was reborn.
Since then, my social media has expanded to other platforms such as Twitter and Pinterest. I have never felt the need to get a Facebook account-- I feel like I missed that trend as most of my friends have had a Facebook since they were about twelve. When I got to college, there was a group on Facebook of students from my class. I decided to get a Facebook strictly to look at the class' page. Not once have a posted, yet I've received many text notifications letting me know that my friends are looking for my account.
As a matter of fact, I just deactivated my Facebook.
My generation has been at the frontline of social media progression. We were among some of the first users of many social media platforms that dominate our lives today. And while my younger self had little concept of what a "social media presence" was, I have tried to be aware of what I post on social media as I get closer to entering the work force. For me, the idea that my employers can find me online is the most concerning thing. I have worked to be cognizant of what I'm posting, and I question whether or not it would be offensive or looked illy upon by an employer. My Instagram is mostly a compilation of a few events in my life, with pictures of my family and friends. I have tagged my friends or sister in a few of the photos, but I always make sure they are okay with the pictures I chose. I am tagged in many photos, and I am okay with most of the ones that are there. If there are any I don't like I can hide them from my page so others cannot see that I am tagged in them. As for my Twitter, I have had this since about tenth grade. I mainly use it to see what others are posting and to watch funny videos and see cute dogs posts. It's a pretty innocent purpose and I hope none of which I have tweeted, retweeted, or liked will be an issue to my future. I have tried to steer clear of anything inappropriate, offense, or controversial. However, it would probably be a wise idea to do a deep clean of my Twitter at some point. If I look up my name on Google, the second picture that comes up is from a birthday post on Twitter from a friend-- it is not a very good picture of me, and it's pretty embarrassing, honestly.
Overall, my social media isn't incredibly detrimental to my life. I have been conscious of what I'm putting out there, and I steer clear of anything that could hurt my chances at a job.
As long as social media is used to give a representation of your best self, it is a less harmless tool. You can monitor the content and the context of your image. It is very important to keep the impact of your social media in mind.
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