My whole life on the Internet?
Social Media has been apart of my life since around Elementary school. I remember opening up my first Facebook account and lying about my age-you have to be 13 to have Facebook- so I could have my page. It never occurred to me that whatever I was posting would stay on the internet forever.
Up until High School, I firmly believed that if we were to just delete what we posted on any site it would be gone forever. Boy, when I look back now I really wish I would have listened to my teachers in Middle School. They told us to be careful with what we post on the internet because it can come back to haunt us.
Even though I have a digital footprint and there are things I wish I never posted online. I continue to use social media every
What Social Media do I use
This is my main account on Instagram. My account is private so if someone wants to see my page they have to request to follow me before they can see anything. I do this so I know who follows me and to not have so many spam accounts they could potentially hack my page
I usually post pictures on special occasions and I also have highlights of my stories. Stories are a bit more personal and you can post something that will go away in 24 hours. The highlights showcase those same stories if you choose to pin them. I tend to post more political things on my stories which might not always be the best, because although I stand with what I saw, sometimes things may be taken out of context which could have consequences in the future.
I only have one account for Facebook. My account is both private and public. My basic information, like where I live, where I go to school and my profile picture is public. While this might not be the safest thing this is what I have for people to see. Now my posts are usually set to friends except, which means most of my friends can see it but not all and they aren't allowed to share what I post. On occasion, if I write something I'm passionate about or a photo of myself or my family I put on public setting because I see no harm in everyone seeing that specific post.
With the knowledge that I have now of companies or institutions looking to find something about you, I will probably set all of my statues to be private for only my closet friends to see.
Tiktok has become one of the most used apps throughout the last year. Tiktok is a place where you can post anything as long as it's under a minute. I usually post trends or Christian content. I tend to spend hours on Tiktok on the "For You Page" which is where videos according to what you watch show up. My account is public because I don't ever post anything too personal.
This app has made many people too comfortable on the app and they share very personal information.
Snapchat is an app where you can watch people's lives by watching their stories and you can also communicate on it.
Out of all the apps I use I think this is where I post the most and am most comfortable on. You can have multiple stories, some can be for everyone or they can be private. I have one private story where only my closest friends can see what I post and then I have my main story where more people can see everything I post. I don't usually try to be careful with this app because everyone always posts everything. If you're sad you post, if you met someone you post, if you want to be funny you post.
The good thing about this app is that if someone were to screenshot your story or message you would know because it shows you.
Do I feel lonely?
I do think social media can make you very lonely. I have seen that a lot with Tiktok. I usually see. groups of friends or relationships being posted on there and it makes me want what they have. This in return has made me sad or depressed because I want a life that I see on the internet. I think it's crazy because most of the time their lives are only good for that one minute of social media but behind the scenes, it's very chaotic. I think social media is to Gen-Z what magazines is to people born before the '90s.
There are some upsides to social media. I've seen videos of women empowerment or people finding groups that help them feel loved.
Cancel Culture
Cancel Culture is very toxic. It is a term that was started on Twitter, anti was originally supposed to hold celebrities or important people accountable for their actions. Now with Gen-Z, we see people get cancelled for the smallest things. It can be very harming and causes defamation to the person being cancelled. Don't get me wrong I do think people should be held accountable but we have to remember the people have pasts and that doesn't define them now.
This leads me back to the main idea of being careful of what is put online because it can come back and destroy your whole career and sometimes life.
Why it's important for you to have social media
I think it is great to have social media because you can connect with so many people but I do think we should be careful with what we post. I also think that people are getting educated with different cultures and topics that wouldn't have been possible without the help of social media.
Does it take over your life?
I think it has in some points of my life. Sometimes I feel like I can't live without it.
There are many things we have to consider when talking about our digital footprint. First is your privacy, is it okay that these sites are getting your credit card info and address? Then we have to think about what type of image we want to portray on social media, is it okay for me to post a picture of me drinking underage? Lastly, we have to think of our health and if it's worth our mental health just top stay trending?
These are all very important questions that have to be answered individually. Each person makes a decision regardless of the outcome. We can enjoy technology but we also have to remember to be safe.
Sources:
https://medlawlit.blogspot.com/p/final-post-prompt.html
https://www.campus-chronicle.com/2020/03/29/what-is-cancel-culture/
https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing
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