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Politics and Activism

You Are What You Tweet

What does your social media say about you?

Daley Henson
Jun 02, 2015
Auburn University
10
You Are What You Tweet

Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Blogger, YouTube, Pinterest. Social media provides endless platforms and a built-in audience. Everything you share is put on display for the world to see, even if it's just a rant about the latest episode of "Grey's Anatomy." You could spend hours crafting the perfect post to be rewarded with "likes" from friends, followers and fans... Or you could lose your job, friends, credibility and more.

Whether you like it or not, people (and employers) increasingly judge you by the tweets, posts and pictures you share. A survey by careerbuilder.com found that more than half of employers use social media profiles to research job candidates and filter out inappropriate employees. We've all heard the stories of football players tweeting stupid jokes or teenagers complaining about their new jobs via Facebook. Who could forget the Justine Sacco scandal, in which the PR executive pressed send on a tweet before boarding her 11-hour flight: “Going to Africa. Hope I don't get AIDS. Just kidding. I'm white!" By the time she landed in Cape Town, she had been fired and publicly shamed.

If this kind of news tempts you to lock down your accounts, hit pause. The flip side of that research tells us that a deactivated or private account looks like you have something to hide. Maybe you do, but nothing is guaranteed private online since the invention of screenshots. Use discernment and choose to present your best instead of disguising yourself!

Being social media savvy in 2015 means choosing your words (and images) with care. Use social media for good, not just for promoting the highlight reel of your life. I love social media for all the reasons many people do: I can connect with friends and family who are out of reach otherwise, I can communicate quickly and creatively, I can find out what my friends are up to, and I can learn. It's a powerful tool that serves as your online representation and can lead to amazing connections. Social media can make an lasting impression and YOU get to decide what that impression looks like. Make it a good one!

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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