The Dark Side of Social Media

Social media…it’s everywhere no matter where you go or what you do, you will likely see something that says like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.  Just like almost all college students, I have a Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Linkedin. Social media is a way of connecting with people, sharing memories, and photos online. Now it seems like everyone from 10 year olds to grandparents have a Facebook at least. I have to admit, I do use Facebook and Twitter to keep up with what people are doing and to see else is going on in this world we live in. Even though these sights are meant to keep people close and connected with people all over the world, there is a still a dark side.

It’s not uncommon for social media accounts to be hacked, for rude and cruel comments to be made towards others, for picture not intended to be on the web to be posted, and many other terrible things can be done. I’m going to focus on Facebook in particular, because those are the stories I hear about the most. As a college student, I soon will be looking for a full time job once I graduate.  Any employer I apply at, will most likely to on the internet and see what kind of social media profiles I have. This means, that stuff I post on Facebook needs to be “clean”.  According to Maureen Downey, from  the AJC Get Schooled blog, offenses such as essay plagiarism, vulgarities in blogs, alcohol consumption in photos, things that make current or future employees “wonder”, and “illegal activities” are things college students should avoid putting out on the internet. I have also seen a lot of people on my news feed posting how much they don’t like their professors or even bosses. This is a big no no, because I have read stories about people getting fired from their jobs because they have posted negatives things about their work or even the people they work with.  Something else that is becoming more common is that employers are using social media to recruiting potential students.

It is just very important for everyone to remember that what you put on the internet may come back to bite you one day.  Just because it’s on the internet and it can be deleted doesn’t mean someone else hasn’t already seen it and spread the word.

-Brooke