Staff Writer
Teenagers
are lucky to be living in an era where they have access to nearly every
imaginable piece of information ever recorded. Every day after school, I hook
up to my MacBook Pro and sail through the virtual wonder world that is the
Internet. However, as much as I love the Internet, there is a significant risk
involved with using it, though it is one I am willing to take. When someone
creates a Facebook profile, a Twitter account, a blog on Tumblr, he or she
compromises his or her personal information to the entire population of the
Internet. With social media, we literally record our lives for the Internet.
This online record of our personal history is known as a lifestream or a digital
footprint.
Social
media is, without a doubt, one of the most important inventions of the 21st
century and it’s unlikely that it will ever fade into irrelevance. However, the
combination of Internet anonymity plus the revealing nature of many social
media users creates the perfect storm for online harassment, known as
cyberbullying. Websites such as Facebook and Twitter have been used to post
sensitive photos and screen shots by vengeful ex-boyfriends and girlfriends. In
fact, just recently, WRAL reported of a local Instagram account containing
inappropriate pictures of Wake County students. The account has been disabled
and local authorities are investigating.
Perhaps
one of the biggest risks to having an undesirable digital footprint is the
chance that an employer or educator might stumble upon it in some way and,
while I personally don’t take this risk into consideration when I produce my
content, it is always wisest to think before you post anything on the Web.
However tempting it may be, in selfies avoid posing in any way that could be
misinterpreted; this is a surefire way to lose your job or get kicked out of
school.
It
should be obvious at this point that finding information about individuals on
the Web isn’t as complicated as you might think. Perform a simple Google search
of my name and you’ll find plenty of images of me that I posted on the
Internet; of course I regret this, but that is the price I pay for achieving
maximum social media success. A 2010 study showed that 82% of children under
the age of 2 had a social media presence due to parents and family members
posting pictures and videos of newborns. In this day and age, it is almost
impossible to avoid having mad social media game.
Thankfully,
there are a variety of ways to beat the system and keep your personal
information a secret, the simplest method of protecting yourself on the Internet
is to turn on your privacy settings on social media profiles like Facebook and
Twitter. For whatever reason, if you
don’t want to go into private mode when using social media, make an anonymous
account. Using anonymous browsers such as Tor, instead of household names such
as Safari and Internet Explorer may also increase your chances of protecting
your online identity.
Having
a well known Internet presence isn’t necessarily a bad thing either; artists,
musicians, and users advertising for their own products may find some benefit
in the outreach social media provides. Companies
have the ability to pay social networking sites to place their advertisements
in your newsfeed and take advantage of hashtags to get their products
trending.
In
recent years, educators have been taking advantage of Twitter to remind
students of homework and upcoming tests and quizzes. Social networking gives
teachers an outlet for students to ask questions when they don’t understand a
subject. Websites such as Edmodo have attempted to recreate many aspects of
social media in a way that would be applicable to education.
Through
social media, online communities can grow and flourish. Forums, chat rooms, and
blogs are generally where these communities begin. Passionate followers of any
product, artist, or concept can come together in these online message boards
and exchange any piece of information almost instantaneously. No previous
generation has had the opportunities that we do now.
Having
an online presence in this age is a necessity if you plan on having any kind of
a social life. Without it, keeping in touch with close friends and relatives is
nearly impossible. If colleges and employers search for your digital presence
and don’t find anything, they are led to assume you are a loser with no
friends. Having a significant digital footprint has both its perks and
drawbacks; the challenge is to find a balance between the two.
