I am not the biggest fan of gossip magazines. It is my personal opinion that you do not forfeit your right to a personal life simply because your employment puts you in the spotlight. So, to say I am out-of-date on the latest celebrity news is like saying Habanero peppers are a little bit spicy. However, thanks to Twitter, I have discovered the latest misstep by Ashton Kutcher.
Whether you are an actor, a politician, a factory worker, or a high school student, when you put your words on the internet, for better or for worse, they stay there. In some cases, you can go back and delete what you’ve written. Still, all it takes in a single screen capture for someone else to republish your words. Mr. Kutcher is finding this out in spades this week. In fact, he has decided to turn control of his Twitter account over to his PR staff.
Personal safety on the internet and with social media is only one half of the equation. The other half is personal accountability. The allure of the internet is that it can afford some measures of anonymity, and it is tempting to say things we would not ordinarily say because of that. The thing is, the internet is not as anonymous as you might think. There are ways of tracking what people have said to the people who have said them. Mr. Kutcher has only embarrassed himself temporarily with his recent comments on Twitter. Others have lost their jobs over postings. In more tragic cases, some have lost their lives.
Like with safety, there are ways to protect your privacy and what you post on social media. Explore the privacy settings for the platform you are using. Not only can you usually determine who amongst your friends can see your postings, you can determine what the general public sees as well. Another thing to watch for is picture tagging. A friend tagging you in their graduation photo is not a bad thing. A friend tagging you in a photo from a party the week before where you are vomit covered and passed out in a corner…well, you decide. Facebook allows you to remove tags and to approve tagging before it is published. Other platforms may not have such controls. In those cases, talk to your friends and inform them what your preferences are when it comes to photo sharing/tagging.
The most important, but seemingly the hardest, thing you can do is evaluate what you are going to say. If you do not want the entire world to know what you have posted, refrain from posting it. More and more people are searching social media sites when making hiring decisions. If you do not want to miss out on an employment opportunity because of what you have posted it, do not post it. If you do not want to lose your current employment over what you have posted, stop for a moment and do not post it. We all have the need to vent from time to time, but perhaps social media platforms are not the most appropriate places to do it. Post as though the world is watching. Because sometimes, it is.
Our IUSB days 
mikedoyleiusb
November 15, 2011
In order to remedy most of the issues which involve temptation to post every thought I have to social media, I instead post that stuff to a private log located on my laptop system which I call a journal. I’ve encrypted the log, so that if anyone else would want to read it, they would need my permission first (in order to protect against spying/hacking). For anyone who has a posting temptation like me, this is one remedy I would recommend for venting frustrations or bad feelings, because you can practically say whatever you want within your journal and nobody will ever see it (given that you’ve encrypted it properly and you’re out of physical view of other people, of course).
carrcamp
November 15, 2011
I feel that the under 18 crowd really needs to be taught more about the insecurity of posting personal matters on the internet. I am unaware if this is being taught today, but I think it is a good idea for middle and high schools to raise awareness about internet safety on social media sites. Many youngsters do not realize a photo posted today might keep them from being hired many years from now. Great article!
erinrbritt
November 15, 2011
That’s a good suggestion, Mike. It’s one that I perhaps may try myself.
nataliebrugh
November 15, 2011
I like Mikes suggestion also. Everytime I log into facebook I am bombarded with peoples personal information through my news feed, that in my opinion, shouldnt be displayed to the whole world or their “so-called” 200 facebook friends. Honestly one of the reasons I like facebook so much is because I can search a friend and find out whatever I need to know just by looking at their public site. I am a very out-going, active person but I think there is a general standard of what should be made public and what should be kept private.
I personally think that all this new technology of communication such as tweeting, facebooking, blogging and even texting is lowering the level of face to face communication. All these statuses posted on facebook referencing someone should be told directly to that person, not through a website. People want to be vocal through technology but arent face to face.
erinrbritt
November 15, 2011
Carrie, it was brought up in my technology in education class. I think teachers who are entering the field now are all being taught how to help teach the dangers of using the internet carelessly.
arice351
November 29, 2011
The education shouldn’t stop at the schools. Parents should be educated as well.
chadwickiusb
December 12, 2011
The big issue is that people forget that their words are going out to the world. It is no secret that privacy is a huge issue in social networking. Even with all the security measures to ensure the the wrong people don’t see a certain post, the fact that it is on the internet means that anybody can see it if they have the desire to.