Online Footprint

I have an average online footprint. I use social media, but I am not constantly posting or scrolling. I have a Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, Pinterest and personal website. This seems like a lot, but I am not very active on most of these platforms. I post to Instagram once and a while to share a photo of myself and friends doing something interesting. I browse through Facebook and Pinterest every once and a while to kill time and see what is happening in the world. I snapchat every day, and use LinkedIn and my website for networking.

If a visitor were to visit my Facebook and Instagram page, they would be able to learn quite a bit about me. They would know where I have been, how I have been with and more. This seems a bit frightening when really thinking about it. If a person were to go to my LinkedIn or website they would learn about my skills and job abilities. This is beneficial since I will be job searching soon. This helps me network and helps employers find me, and see my talent. The other platforms I am on, I do not post or do much with. Visitors would not gain much information about me through Twitter or Pinterest. When thinking deeply about what my social media presence can do, does make me question if it is worth it.

When setting up my profile on these platforms, I have given out a lot of my information without even thinking twice about it. I have shared my phone number, email, address, likes, dislikes, and more; all because I thought that it was okay and that I needed a profile on the platform. The companies get my information and sell it, share it or use it for their own advertising. This can be seen as a privacy issue for many.

Along with privacy issues, the questions posed by The Atlantic article shows that social media does not always have a good impact on users. It has been proven that it can make people feel lonely, depresses and isolated. Social media is such a big part of the world today, but maybe it shouldn’t be?

https://www.fastcompany.com/section/the-privacy-divide