As most college students would agree, I have a slight addiction to social media. There is nothing like the feeling of someone liking one of your photos on Instagram, having a secret crush comment on a Facebook status, or finding a funny new video on Youtube. Every time I get a chance in between classes or when I am procrastinating doing homework, I am checking my social media accounts.
While sharing on these sites can be informational and entertaining, there is one question that comes to mind. How much sharing is too much on social media?
In between the pictures of cats and funny e-cards, there are people who pour their heart out onto Facebook as if it were a private diary. When people comment on these statuses, the writer gets mad. If you do not want people to make a comment, then do not put it out there to be criticized.
It can be so frustrating to see people using social media to tell the world their problems and not expect a small backlash in the process, especially if they are criticizing a person, organization, or community they know nothing about. Everyone has the right to free speech, but maybe it is necessary to take the time to think about how people might react to the information and if you want responses.
This seemed to happen most of the time during the recent election. People were posting articles and opinions about who the better candidate was and who would ruin the country.
However, people were writing things that were vulgar and downright mean to one another on these pictures and public pages.
The thing about this was that some of the users were strangers. They did not even know the other person and there were several comments made that would get you in trouble. There were also people who were friends with one another who were making these comments. Whatever happened to if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all?
If the constant bickering and fighting or “Facebook drama” is not enough, there are the constant pictures on Facebook and Instagram. I have no problem with the pictures of nature, food, and cute animals. I can even handle the constant posts of weekly do-it-yourself manicures.
However, what have plagued these sites are the blatant promiscuous photos from the females of my generation. Guys are just as guilty for this, but it seems to be more prominent with girls.
First off, why is there the need to post these pictures? It’s uncomfortable and embarrassing to log on to see a group of pictures on my news feed that show more skin than a swimsuit catalog. It sets a bad example for the younger generations and can end up being a bad reflection on the user.
Do you really think someone is going to hire you when there are several posts of you acting and looking extremely unprofessional?
Even if you change your Facebook user name, or delete it, there is still the possibility that the photos exist, and could land a person in trouble. Or think of this scenario, if you are friends with relatives on these sites, do you want them to see those photos? If you would not act or look a certain way in public, do not put it online.
Social media has been a wonderful advancement in our society. It has allowed people to connect all over the world and share ideas. People have created wonderful groups and made events happen that probably would not have been possible if it were not for the constant connection and resources of the many social media sites available.
However, it seems that sites such as Facebook and Instagram are becoming personal diaries rather than a way to connect with people. We all have freedom of speech and we all should use it, but maybe we should also take a second to think about the consequences that might occur after the fact.
