“Don't post anything you wouldn't want your future employer to see!"

Can you say anti-sext? Seriously, we hear this statement constantly from just about every adult ever. It has been shoved into my brain so many times that whenever someone says this to me, it goes in one ear and out the other. I sometimes forget that whatever I post on social media, under a private setting or not, can still be found by any future employer.

Not many people are aware that companies have specific job positions that entail creeping on potential new-hires. Yes, that's a thing. It doesn't help that technology is rapidly advancing to where the power of time travel is probably like 5 years away, because now there are countless ways for people to online creep. There are computer programs that can track down any picture or Facebook status you've ever posted, even after it has been deleted.

Did anyone else's heart just stop while reading that? Personally, all someone has to do is mention the word 'MySpace' and my whole body immediately wants to die of embarrassment and self-loathing. I can't even fathom how frightening it is that someone is actually able to see my emo-esque, hard peace sign, duck face pictures from the 7th grade. But then again, that phase got the best of all of us.

What's more humiliating than an old picture? An old Facebook status. People think it's funny to stalk your Facebook back to the high school days, and bring embarrassing photos and statuses to the feed for all of your extended family and college friends to see. Plot twist: it's not funny and it ruins lives.

I am a prime example and victim of this, because not too long ago, my Little thought it would be the funniest thing in the world to do it to me. She liked and commented on all of my statuses from the year 2010 so my sorority sisters, grandparents, crush, childhood Rabbi, the Moscow Humane Society, and literally everyone else on Earth, could see my remarkable ability to make everyone around me feel uncomfortable via Facebook status. In all honesty, yes, looking back now it is kind of funny (no hard feelings Little, I promise). But, at the time, it was absolutely mortifying.

It was shocking to see how weird and immature I was back then. It had me wondering; if I think all of that was weird and immature, what am I going to think in 5 years, when I look back at everything I post now? Will my silly tweets, that I think are so hilarious, actually be the opposite of funny, maybe even offensive, and potentially prevent me from getting a job someday? I'm very cautious of everything I post these days, but will the current standard of what is appropriate now, be appropriate in the future?

Another example of how posting on social media can catch up to you, is sorority recruitment. We stalk the heck out of PNM's by looking at their photos, tweets, and Instagram pictures. We judge them based off of what we find online, because that's usually the only way we can get to know them beforehand. If the recruitment team can stalk over 900 girls that quickly, then a future employer can do it to you in about 10 minutes. What if that one picture of you and your best friend, where the angle is perfect so you look super skinny, and the lighting makes you look like you just stepped out of a glistening bathtub full of Jergen's self tanner, prevents you from getting your dream job? What if a beer can in the background, or body language that suggests you're in a party atmosphere, can 100% determine whether or not you get hired?

So, a message to my mom: first of all, how dare you grant me such lenient internet privileges, because look at how embarrassed I am about the year 2010. Second of all, thank you for letting me express myself however I wanted to. It has helped me learn from my mistakes. Now I know not to ever let my children near a computer or smart phone, so that they can't post embarrassing things that will later haunt them for the rest of their lives, or until their Little points it out to everyone. I can also say that it has made me a more responsible, cautious person when it comes to posting on social media websites.

Remember to always be careful about what you're putting out there. Sure, we can *snap* to sorority life for keeping our social media standards in check, but at the end of the day, we're each responsible for our own. You don't want one slip up to determine your future or someone else's.