Is Social Media Important?

The explosion of social media has had an incredible impact on global society.  Like never before we can gather and share information about our favourite companies, bands, artists and designers.  We almost always know what our friends are thinking and doing and can see the latest pictures of our brand new cousin, who was born across the country, with in moments of his proud mother uploading them to her Facebook account. Social media gives a voice to the shyest person and paints a picture of the new girl in class who no one knows yet. 

I think social media has made a great impact on social consciousness and social conscience.  We no longer have to rely on the media to decide what is important to us.  We can make a choice.  We can choose to hold companies accountable for their actions by posting linked statuses on Facebook and tell them exactly what we think with @mentions on Twitter.  We can tell the powers that be that we want things to change. We can share our outrage over social injustices in countries a world away. We can buy t-shirts and support social causes with the push of a button.  We can rally behind a nation as it picks up the pieces after massive natural devistation.

It has changed the way we think and the way we interact.  Social media has changed the way we buy, sell, date, break up, hire and fire. It's here to stay and it's only going to get bigger. I think it is important. Just jump on that bandwagon and enjoy it!

You Are What You Post

It seems these days that privacy has gone the way of the dodo. The advent of social media has allowed us to conveniently keep in touch with family and friends that we may not see often. It has also presented opportunities to reconnect with people you haven't seen in several years; but social media isn't all good and not everyone is intelligent in their use of these sites. Social media has also made it possible for anyone to access your personal information and pictures from anywhere in the world.

We've all seen questionable photos and statements pop up in our news feeds that leave us wondering "what were you thinking when you posted that?" The fact is that many people don't realize that what they put online defines how people view them, whether it's an accurate portrayal or not. These days even companies looking to hire will check out a Facebook page to verify a candidate's character. Most of us have heard stories of So and So's friend's cousin loosing a job because of their Facebook and Twitter content. The fact is that while it may be fun to post a picture of you with a beer label stuck to your forehead and a sharpie goatee, it can also be damaging to your reputation. Particularly if there are more than one of these portraits. You may think it's funny, but your prospective or current boss may not think so. Can anyone say unreliable drunk? This is also true if most of your photos show you scantily clad in mini skirts or booty shorts posing with your kiester and tatas out circa Girls Gone Wild high school edition. Just know you don't look sexy. You look cheap and desperate for attention. If you're ok with that, then by all means fill yer boots, but be aware that one day there may be consequences in your personal or professional life for your posting promiscuity.

Even law enforcement uses social media to their benefit these days. Don't believe that? Then please refer to the story of Joshua Lipton who was convicted of a drunk driving charge with the help of his Facebook profile. Two weeks after he was charged with driving drunk and seriously injuring a woman, he posted a photo of himself at a halloween party, drunk, wearing a prison jumpsuit. FAIL!
Facebook and Twitter are fun, engaging tools and no one says that your profile has to present you as a saint, but BE CAREFUL. Once it's posted, it's out there and there is no going back. Facebook and Twitter have assisted with countless break-ups, losses of employment, criminal convictions and many, many groundings since their arrival on the World Wide Web. You are what you post.
For more advice on Facebook don'ts visit The Seven Deadly Sins of Facebook Users and Abusers