Surviving Social Media

It happens.

No matter how much you restrain yourself from verbally slamming your boss via Twitter or how carefully you untag those spring break photos, the same day you have your dream interview with Proctor and Gamble you get tagged in a compromising photo on the dance floor from last weekend. So that’s where the recruiter’s “Drop It Low” reference came from ...

Why do we do it?

With the increasing popularity of smartphones, tweets and photos have become even easier to update. Sometimes, we aren’t aware that a friend is taking our picture until it ends up on our page. Why this behavior is so important for us as humans is still being researched by a variety of experts, such as those from Boston University who recently published a study titled “Why do we use Facebook?” Suggestions include the “need to belong” and the “need for self-presentation.” 

Psychology professor Jerome Buseymeyer suggests that we post inappropriate content to social media sites for two reasons — social pressure and not thinking about the consequences. “People just don’t stop and think,” he says.

What can we do about it?

Delete negative content.
In the scenario above, it’s easy to determine what needs to be removed. However, if someone is cleaning up his or her online image for the job search, it might be more difficult to decide. Jennifer Stuart, assistant director of the Career Development Center  gives some advice.

“It’s great to let employers see you have friends, hobbies, you take vacations. Just don’t post anything that might lead someone to make a character judgment,” she says.

Create more positive content.
Google yourself. Try to make sure that your Facebook is not the first result for you. Chances are that employers won’t look at anything beyond page one. If the first five links are about awards you’ve won, employers will have a good image of you.

Keep it to one Facebook page.
Marcia Debnam, Career Services director for the School of Journalism, advises against having two Facebook profiles — a professional and a personal one. “If someone Googles you, they are going to see that you have more than one,” she said.

Don’t put yourself in the position in the first place.
Situations like these are definitely avoidable. Monitor your page and friends. Be careful about what you post.
“Remember nothing is 100 percent safe online,” Debnam says.