Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and Vine — four seemingly small apps that easily have the potential to run our lives. While social media sites continue to become more popular with age, the question of whether social media is beneficial or detrimental for today’s technology savvy youth is still up for debate.
Apps like Instagram allow people to simply post pictures with the option to “like” or comment on the picture. Twitter enables users to speak their mind in less than 140 characters, Vine speaks to people’s hilariously creative side, and good ol’ Facebook is still hanging around connecting all the aunts and uncles who’ve slyly taken it over.
While the description of these sites seems fairly meek, a lot more is involved than meets the eye. Because almost everyone has at least one social media account, the idea of talking to people from all walks of life has become easily conceivable. Back in the pre-social media days, celebrities were looked at as divine-like individuals who were only seen on TV or in magazines, and we only mingled with them in our imaginations. Now with social media, opportunities to meet, greet and even date celebrities are becoming a common thing.
Networking and marketing is a huge advantage social media gives individuals. A simple post of a picture could easily grant you a one-way ticket to stardom. Many models, musicians, fitness fanatics and more can attest to the wonderful glory social media has brought them. Just ask @BundleofBrittany, a fitness guru whose taut body and good looks has gained her more than 725,000 followers, one of them being San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Rumors have been floating around stating that the two are a couple, which may or may not be true; but, what we all can effortlessly see is that without social media, the two would have probably never met.
While social media certainly has its networking advantages, it can also be a double-edged sword. Though some companies use social media to enhance their company branding, others use social media to eradicate the people who are defiling the brand name. Mike Bacsik, former MLB baseball player, was fired from his job at “The Ticket” radio show when he angrily tweeted “Congrats to all the dirty Mexicans in San Antonio” after the Mavericks lost in the 2010 playoffs. Even a 10th grade math teacher was fired from her job after posting racy photos online of herself smoking marijuana and commenting on how “hot” her students were.
Companies hire investigators to search for mishaps just like these to ensure they’re hiring people who best represent their brand. Many people tend to underestimate the power of a simple Google search. The pictures, tweets and videos posted that represent your personal life may not always align with the professional life you seek.
With that said, always be mindful of the pictures and tweets you post despite your target audience. Realize that more people are peering into your life than you think, and always remember to post pictures that reflect yourself in a positive manner, whatever your extracurricular activities may be. Although you may think your social media account is a private expression of yourself to your closest friends, it’s really a public appearance to the world. Social media is a gift and a curse: it can create a prosperous future for you, but it can also has tarnish your image for good. You decide how you’re viewed.
