People always tell you to be careful what you post on social networking sites. The first site that comes to mind is Facebook. It is not often that we think about watching what we post on Twitter.
Twitter is a social networking site, like Facebook, and should not be discarded when it comes to user discretion.
People are careful to avoid posting embarrassing, inappropriate and sometimes incriminating photos and statuses on Facebook, but this caution is not present when using Twitter in a lot of cases.
Tweeters post tweets about getting drunk, using drugs and doing other inappropriate things all the time. They use profane language and seem to not care that future employers can access those tweets.
Facebook users often times have their profile on the highest privacy and are careful about what pictures they are tagged in and what type of information they post in fear of being judged by future employers for their endeavors and personal life.
However, sometimes these same people use Twitter and do not approach their use of it with the same caution. Many peoples’ tweets are not protected and are therefore viewable to anyone who accesses the site. They can also be retweeted for other users to see, ones that you may not know and even third parties.
Employers may look at your Facebook and see nothing wrong. Then they may go to your Twitter account and see tweets that you have posted that change their initial opinions of you if you are posting without using discretion.
Twitter is an outlet for thoughts and emotions and should be used to display whatever the user wants. However, one must be smart.
Avoid posting inappropriate tweets and pictures and using profane language that could be offensive or degrading to other people.
In the past, people have been tweeting without consequence. However, this is not the case anymore.
Recently, a girl tweeted about a crime she committed and the police tracked it down and then arrested her. And this is not an isolated incident.
This goes to show you are not immune to the consequences that may arise if you tweet something.
Overall, a social network user must always remember to represent themselves in an appropriate way, especially if they hope to find a job in the future.
As college students, we often get caught up in the present and do not think about how our actions now will affect our future. Tweeting about how you got totally wasted at that party last night will not be attractive to a future employer.
Also, posting that photo of you as an underage person with a bottle of vodka in your hand is probably not a good idea as well. What you post is a direct reflection of yourself.
I have done things myself that I have later gone back and deleted from my social networks because I have realized that they may not be a good representation of myself. I encourage everyone to do the same.
What you thought was a good post then, may not be a good post now.
Always remember, one single tweet, Facebook status, or any post to social media or the Internet for that matter, can display multiple character traits that may be influential in other’s creation of opinions about the user. These opinions can either help or deter your future.
