Self-Audit

It is a hard concept to think about, but we all have an online presence. It is most likely larger than any of us could imagine. I know personally, I have a relatively large internet footprint. It is a scary concept but it is largely my fault. I often do not think about the harmful effects that the internet can have on a person, and I'm only really offended if people post pictures of me without permission if I think I look bad in them. Otherwise, I don't really care. I use all different kinds of social media. I use Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, Tik Tok, YouTube, Snapchat, and there are some others that I have accounts on that are inactive. A lot of the time I use these for different purposes. I use Instagram as a way to post pictures for my friends to see, Facebook as a place to contact family members and post pictures for them to see, Twitter I use for pretty much everything and anything, often times I get political but sometimes I post dumb things. These are the three that I mainly post on. It is crazy to think about what people can find out about me based on what I post and I often don't recognize that while I am posting. Easily by visiting my pages you could find out my political affiliation, my hobbies, where I am from, what school I attend, my age, and probably much more. I often give out my email to sites, mostly to retailers. I've been very good about giving my phone number to places, and if I do, I always make sure why they are asking for it. I think our generation is not easily fooled by scams. The other day I came downstairs to my father filling out a "random survey to win $20,000". I told him not to fall for that stuff anymore, he definitely has given out information to more websites, I'm sure he would've thought nothing of it if I didn't say anything to him.
Social media has an interesting effect on many different people. I use it to stay connected, which usually brings me joy. However, I definitely get feelings of isolation and sadness (I wouldn't say it has made me depressed, just sad) from certain posts I've seen. Social media definitely focuses on the negative parts of the news. Within this pandemic alone all I have seen are tragic stories. Being somebody personally affected by the virus, I have learned to mute anything on any timeline on social media pertaining to the virus. Yes, it's not healthy to completely block out pain, but it's not healthy to constantly be reliving it either. Another aspect of social media is comparing yourself to others you see. I know I follow accounts of completely unrealistic goals. However, I still compare myself to them! I'm sure many others do as well.
Social media is an unavoidable part of life now, for better or for worse. I hope that eventually I will learn how to take this part of my life a little more seriously.

Reference: https://www.fastcompany.com/90315706/kids-parents-social-media-sharing