Social Media: lj 1

     Social Media have been around for quite a while. As of recent years, the presence of Instagram and Facebook has expanded beyond the realm of individual usage, more and more companies and renowned organization are starting to employ this trendy social network to effectively increase their influence. From advertising, conversing, or even hiring; Employers nowadays most likely will not be satisfied with just looking at your flashy resumes, some might even go as far as checking their potential candidates' social media accounts to see how they conduct themselves on a daily basis. Slowly but surely, social media starts to manifest itself as another form of self identification. 

    Knowing how social media can act as an open gateway to an individual's life and activity. I have formulated several unspoken rules about what I should and should not do with my social media account in order to limit unnecessary exposure that could potentially become a hindrance to my future career. 

    DO:

• Double check my contents before posting: Be it pictures or just a generic comment to make sure that I will not regret it in the future. 
• Only connect with people whom I trust: No use in befriending strangers unless I am desperate for some social interaction.
• Disregard internet trolls: Cyber-bullying is a real issue and I try my best to not let it affect me.
• Refrain from over-sharing and over-posting: The world does not need to know what I do every 10 minutes.

    DON'T:

• Leaving comments on controversial topics: Like politics or famous people's scandals as I could potentially attract unwanted internet trolls.
• Using my social media during school or work hours: It creates unnecessary distraction and could negatively affect my productivity.
• Sharing mine or my family pictures: I do not like taking selfies and neither do my family members.
• Chasing after likes: Internet points are not worth it and I do not condone partaking in silly activities for some virtual internet fame. 

    Like I have stated in the previous post. I am no longer a frequent social media user. The only platform that I still sometimes visit is Twitter, and that only for checking out artworks from artists that I idolize. I have not posted anything for the longest time and have never felt the need to. Which is quite hilarious considering I used to be an overly active Facebook user during my middle school years. I would talk and chat with my friends everyday of the week and even more on the weekend. Funny pictures, videos, personal thoughts, there was almost not a thing missing on my personal page. I posted so many silly things that would ended up being deleted later. Now that I think about it, all of those unnecessary acts could most likely be attributed to me trying to fit in with the trend. There were little reasons for me to be so active on Facebook other than mimicking what most of my friends back then were doing. If I could go back, I wish that my young self would have known that all those silly things that I posted and said on Facebook do not just simply go away. There is a saying that if something is posted on the internet, there is a chance that it could stay there forever. 

    Social Media are powerful tools. They are currently the absolute best way for an individual to connect with the mass in a blink of the eyes. Depending on the contents present, these social networks can also provide a broad insight into a person's personal life, their personalities, status, jobs, and activities. Convenient and high-tech, people can find plenty of use for social media, but not without caveats. Social media is not a well-monitored playground, so think twice before you decide to post something. This is especially true when it comes to selfie and images. There are millions of people on the internet every day, so chances are a number of them could end up being someone that you would not want to expose your face or personal life to. Online criminals tend to target those that are frequent posters. The more you post, the more information that they can gather from you, such as your identity, your address, your work schedule, and even your loved ones. Think really carefully before you click that upload button. Ask yourself whether this selfie, or a happy family picture that you took when you went on a vacation could put you or someone else's in harm way. Try not to compete with your friends to see who can post the most pictures, or who can get the most likes on their tweet. Everything that you post on your social page carry a slim chance of being used against you by criminals. So stop trying to be the best, the most famous, the one that is known all over the internet. It is very easy for you to be victimized the more you share about yourself to the mass. Selfies and pictures are not uncommon to find, but if you are concern about your privacy or the safety of yourself and your loved ones. Consider posting less, check your images twice to make sure they do not contain identifiable information such as ID's or home address. Or better yet, quitting Social Media altogether just like I did. You can still browse anonymously (without an account) and leave all the risks behind. Out of sight and out of mind.