Is the online you representative of the real you?
If you died, tragically and in a newsworthy way, your social media will provide the images and personality to make your story more clickable. It will determine our you are represented.
Are your settings public? There is implied consent to the use of your images and posts.
That awesome job you are trying to land….will your social media activities enhance your chances…or destroy them?
Or, as this emergency MD writes, will your social media be used to illicit a sense of empathy and compassion before telling your family of your death?
Is this our world now?
I can’t know you, only your social media.
The personality you created, or is it a true reflection?
Reading about an unknown person via their social media, like you are a trained profiler, drawing conclusions and feeling powerful and superior, and letting this one glimpse into who they might be determine whether or not they are worthy.
Is this a warning – to avoid social media, or to be honest and transparent…or to just be aware.
You are being googled by doctors, potential employers, tinderists, old school peers, your neighbour and even that person you had a dingle with in the car park, requiring an exchange of details for insurance purposes.
Is this paranoia?
Or awareness?
Others will view your social media through their own lens. This does not mean you should censor yourself or change yourself…but know that you are open to interpretation.
On the flipside – when viewing another’s social media, know that you are not viewing them. And that you are interpreting what you see with your own biases, for better or for worse.
We tell our children to be mindful that not all are who they say they are, to be conscious that all conversations and interactions are recorded. We should take our own advice.
You are being watched.
