My Online Presence

This week in my Media Law and Literacy class we discussed how anyone can learn about you through a quick google search. I personally have had social media accounts since I was around 12 years old. I have since deleted many of my old posts and even created a whole new Facebook account while I was in high school to avoid embarrassment. The social media sites that I have accounts on are Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. I believe I share more about my life online than most people. 

On Facebook, I do not write posts but I always share pictures. I share photos from just about everything in my life, anyone could learn a lot about my interests and who I am just based on my photos. Someone could discover that I am a dancer, I attend High Point University, I have three dogs and two cats, I enjoy pizza, I have a boyfriend, I have two nephews, I like to travel, I am in a sorority, I enjoy concerts, and so much more. However, I do utilize the privacy settings on Facebook. 

On Twitter, I have not created my own post in years but I occasionally will retweet someone's tweet. Someone who views my Twitter would be able to get a glimpse into what kind of person I am. 

On Instagram, I post my favorite pictures and usually tag the location of where I took them. My Instagram is public for anyone to see, however after reading this article that talks about one's online presence I will most likely stop tagging locations near where I live. I do not feel the need to private my Instagram as I tend to view it as a way for future employers to see what I am like outside of the interviewing process. 

Very few people I know post on YouTube but I am one of those people. I have documented parts of my life on YouTube and it is intended for anyone to see. Except for locations, everything I post on my various social media accounts I am not afraid for anyone to have access to.

I will not, however, add my phone number to my accounts and my email is private on all my accounts as well. 

Despite the amount of information I put online, when I google "Emily Johnson" I do not pop up. I have a very common name so this makes sense but even when I search my name and add my hometown after it, only my LinkedIn shows up. What I found interesting is when I search my dad's name followed by my hometown my address pops up, along with his phone number and my phone number, his birthday, his political affiliation, that he married my mom, and that he has two sons. It lists both my brother's names but according to google, I do not exist in my family. After not being able to find much of myself on google I tried one more search, "emmie_emily", the username I use for my social media accounts. I was disappointed yet not surprised to see that several pictures of myself showed up. 

For me, social media is a way for friends and family to stay updated on my life but for others, social media can be damaging. Some may compare their lives to others based on what they post. I only post about positive moments in my life on social media and so do many others. Therefore, people need to remember to not compare themselves to others based on their social media accounts because it is not the full reality.