The increasing popularity of social media sites today is staggering. The age range of people joining these sites ranges from the young of age to senior citizens. The main reason for joining these types of sites is to keep in touch with friends, family, and occasionally to make new friends. When joining this type of site the last thing on most people’s minds are the effects that it can have on their reputations.
Often people will go onto these sites and display personal information that they normally would not strangers to have access to. Habits such as provocative pictures or off colored jokes can seem innocent when they are being shared by family or friends, but should never be shared with the general public. Most people post these types of things to their social networking site without ever considering that it may leak out into the public and reflect negatively on their reputations.
There has been quite a bit of focus in the media over the low security levels that the social networking sites provide to their clients. Virtually anyone who has internet access can get access to a person’s information on these sites. The Media has taken great steps to warn people about posting financial and identity related information for fear of identity theft. Most people have taken adequate precautions to guard against those types of crimes, yet never stop to think that their other personal posts can also be viewed by the public.
Party photographs, foul language, and politically incorrect jokes may be fine when speaking with close friends, but people fail to realize that outsiders may also view these posts. Many employers have made it a practice in recent years to run an internet search on prospective employees before even beginning the interview process. Finding questionable internet postings of a negative manner can hurt a person’s chance for employment with these companies.
No one ever really thinks of just how much a social networking site can reflect upon their reputation. The truth is that everything someone posts on the internet can be found by almost anyone. A good rule of thumb is to never post anything on a social networking site that would be offensive for the general public. Always be aware of the effects that social media can have on a reputation.
I agree, security in social media should have to take into consideration. Sometimes foul words and jokes are always there.