Since the advent of social media, the world has changed so many ways of doing things. Perhaps the most worrisome of these changes are in areas that were once held as private. Social media has benefits and I’m sure most people will agree with that. If not, how could I have written this piece from the comfort of my bedroom and it gets to you with no publication cost? For the reward of getting closer, what lines have we crossed? These days, most people share almost all of their daily lives online. Sometimes it’s things as simple as; I am about to go swimming, this will be a fun holiday. Yes, it sounds fun to inform the world that you are about to go for holiday but what did not cross your mind is that at the same time you informed the world that your home is now cool to be burgled. Having seen the “madness” that social media has brought upon us, I still need to remind you that the following things should be kept private.
1. Income. Even the worst social media freak should know about this tip. Only on rare occasion do people share their income on social media. But apart from social media, there are still people that don’t need to know how much you earn or how much you are worth. If your total worth is known to the world, I will say ‘you are of a little worth.’ Even Forbes is not perfectly certain about how much the world’s richest men are worth.
2. Your next move. “Life is like Chess” they say. One thing unique about the game of chess is that your next move is hidden and the more unpredictable you are the more dangerous you are and victory is not far. What makes chess more fun is that pawn a can kill the Queen and king, likewise; the least ranking personnel in your company can take over tomorrow if he/she plays their game well. So conceal your next move. After all, success in life is at times a matter of displacement and replacement.
3. Love life. Some ladies say, “if your boyfriend doesn’t have your picture on his social media then you are a side chic.” I wonder how putting your lover’s picture on your social media can be a proof of love. If someone is a player, even making your picture his profile picture won’t stop him from cheating on you. So relax. Whatever you are doing with your lover should be kept away from public view so that you can enjoy the peace of love not the attention of the world.
4. Party pics. This one is a killer. Imagine seeing your boss’ last Friday night photo where he was drunk and vomiting. Yes, it might be fun to set the picture as your home computer’s background, but pictures like that have cost some people their jobs. The worst part is that almost everyone claims to know this rule, but pics of people drinking and smoking at parties continues to get uploaded to sites like Facebook, WeChat, and Weibo every day. Sharing party pictures is dumb since anyone can repost photos online as much as they want, even pictures that are meant to be private have a way of coming back to haunt you. Employers and college recruiters often check social network profiles before they make decisions, so one incriminating photo can ruin your life/carrier.
(Remember what happened to Michael Phelps?)
There are so many more things to keep away from the eyes of the world. Anyone who can use social media while avoiding the pitfalls will go a long way to enjoying a happy future and life.
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