I’ve felt like Representative Anthony Weiner before.
Well, not exactly like him. I’ve never publicly tweeted inappropriate photos to anyone. I’ve never even privately tweeted, texted or emailed inappropriate photos. Actually, I’ve never taken any inappropriate photos either of myself or anyone else. So I don’t feel exactly like Representative Weiner.
I have had that sinking feeling, though, in my stomach when I worry that I sent a text to the wrong person or a direct message to everyone. Which is why we need to think before we tweet.
Social media have completely changed how we interact with each other. I don’t think Alexander Graham Bell looked at a camera and thought about the possibilities of sending inappropriate photos through his newly invented telephone. Since technology has completely altered how we interact with each other, we need to come up with some rules that Mr. Bell couldn’t have possibly imagined.
The best rule for interacting with social media is to think before posting anything. Sending a direct message of an inappropriate picture isn’t a great idea; it becomes a much worse idea when it accidentally goes public. According to his own statements, sending inappropriate photos was a regular practice for Representative Weiner. Maybe things would have gone different for him had he thought a little harder about sending that first photo.
Whether we’re a member of the United States House of Representatives or a poor college student, we need to think through what we post on Facebook and Twitter and what we send in text messages and emails. What we send and post might not end up as fodder for Kimmel and Conan, but it does reflect our character and how other people perceive us.
Today we communicate so much of ourselves through social media; our identities are connected to our Facebook, Twitter and texts. We need to understand the power that social media have to shape others’ perceptions of us. That’s not just a photo album and that’s not just a tweet, it’s an extension of who we are and what we think is important.
So think before you tweet or post or text. Or don’t, I don’t care. (Dang it!!! I should have thought before posting that).
How do you filter what you post to social media?
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