You Are What You Post! How does your social media represent you?

How do you see yourself? What are your morals? What are your dreams? goals? ambitions? Are these represented in your social media accounts? Social media should not be a place to vent, express family issues or relationship problems, those are private matters. However, social media should be used to portray to the world, the person you are and who you are striving to become. It is a place for networking and opportunity, depending how it is utilized. Society has become desensitized to the content displayed on these platforms and generations have become more comfortable behind a keyboard than actual human interaction.

Yesterday, I came across a sexually explicit post on my younger brother’s Facebook page. Immediately I left the comment ‘Be mindful of the things you post and who they attract . . . they are a reflection of your character and how others view you.’ His response was  ‘I mean but this is me sis. Can’t hide it. And if they don’t like it then what?‘ which lead me to believe, he did not understand this key concept, you are what you post.

When I was my brother’s age, I had the same mentality as he did. ‘I can post whatever I want because it is my page and if people don’t like it then they can get off my page.’ Although this is true, I failed to understand how I was representing myself to the world. I would post for attention rather than inspiration. I’d share pictures without thinking of the longevity (once it is uploaded it will be there forever!). I wrote posts in anger and neglected how others would feel simply because I was in the heat of the moment. Years later through the Facebook memory reminders, I am able to realize how some of these posts made me look quite foolish. After filming #UnpluggedTheDocumentary (click the Videos ‘tab’ to watch), I discovered I spent way too much time in ‘internet reality’ than my true reality.

I wonder if age or maturity are factors for the lack of understanding or if it is the culture and views of society that has tainted these young minds. Regardless, people need to become more aware of how they represent themselves through their posts. Don’t get me wrong, I do believe everyone is entitled to exercise their 5th amendment however, where do we draw the line? At what point do we realize, not everything should be posted on the internet.

Believers, I want to bring this to your attention so that you will be able to apply this information to your life. Social media is a platform for friends and family, yet employers, professors or athletic recruiters have access as well. The internet is world wide and can be seen by any and everyone whether we know them or not. So, to think ‘if someone doesn’t like it than get off my page’ is an understatement. Your self-respect, dignity and character are shown through your posts, whether you believe it or not.

The pictures you post, tweets you retweet or videos you repost, reflect your views, beliefs and values. If your page has cooking videos, recipes shared or food pictures, than chances are when people come to your page they will think of you as a chief or person who loves to cook. However, if your page is filled with nonsense and foolishness, whether it be your post or shared and reposted someone else’s stupidity. . . what will this reflection of you look like? Regardless of how you ‘feel‘ about others opinions, it is best to acknowledge the images you are using to represent yourself and understand the reputation it will acquire.

Today, I pray that you learn from my mistakes and ask yourself these five questions before publishing a post, sharing a picture or reposting a video.

1. What is my purpose for this post?
2. In what way does this represent the person I am?
3. Would this be considered appropriate for an employer to see?
4. How would my parents/family members feel about this post?
5. Is this an inspiring or encouraging post for others?

Make sure to leave your thoughts below in the comment field 🙂