My Online Presence

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I remember when I was in 5th grade, I finally was allowed to create a Facebook page, so I went over to my friends house and we spent hours on the computer looking at Facebook, creating our first online profiles, and adding tons of pictures and information about ourselves. As a middle school student, having social media was like... the coolest thing ever. Now that I have grown up, and began my college carer, I have learned all of the dangers that come along with having an online, social media presence.

I have all of the popular social medias, including Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, and a newer social media called VSCO. I use Snapchat the most, and Instagram probably a similar amount. I am very active on my Instagram account and find joy in updating my followers on what I am doing through pictures. I also use snapchat to stay in contact with my friends, and even people I do not know as well. Snapchat or "snap" is one of the more personal social medias where you can directly send someone a photo or text message. Instagram allows you to reach many people by posting 1-10 photos at a time and including a short caption with them. Twitter, I usually do not post much on but I do enjoy scrolling through and reading what others have to say. VSCO, is a new photo editing app that allows you to follow others peoples edits. Many people link their VSCO account to their instagram, so that they can post pictures, but not make them as public as their Instagram accounts. Typically, I just use Facebook to stay up to date with family and close friends.

If you were to go through my social media accounts, you easily would be able to tell that I am a student at High Point University, that I am from Durham, North Carolina, which high school I attended, and what kind of car that I drive. Thinking about really anyone being able to see that information is scary. If you were too google search my name, you would possibly see some photos that I have uploaded to Facebook, and other images that I have been tagged in. I don't ever share my phone number online, but you could probably find my email because it is linked to some of my social media account such as Facebook and Instagram. Typically, I try and use my spam emails when signing up for accounts online.

I believe that social media has both benefits and consequences. If you are not careful about what you post, something online could define the rest of your life. There are many horror stories about people not being able to find jobs, or not getting into colleges due to the things they have made public via social media. When using social media, its best to make sure privacy settings are turned on, that you don't post personal information like an address or phone number, and that you monitor who your followers are.

I found this article, about why teenagers are so obsessed with social media. Give it a read!

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