How your FB profile affects your life

I remember when Facebook was in its infancy. Back then it took a verifiable college e-mail address simply to join. That didn’t last long.

With its ever-growing access to people’s lives increasing its popularity, soon people from all generations found themselves a part of something that feels like a massive social experiment on the boundaries of what people consider private. The strange thing is that most people fail to see the harm that can be done when they post something for the consumption of the masses.

I came to realize this early on, after teaching at a college for over a decade and watching as the “friends” section of my FB page grew over the years. 

Unfettered access to the lives and happenings of college kids has always amazed me. As I peruse pictures of scantily clad college bodies imbibing on alcohol and weed, passed out under a bush, or looking for a fight, I find myself wondering where some of these people learned lessons about the world around them.

Now don’t get me wrong, I am not here to profess that any of the aforementioned should stop. Having played soccer and run track in college, I will be one of the first to tell you that much of these moments were what made college so memorable. What I am attempting to understand is how many of these students were never taught to edit their profiles BEFORE handing in a job application.

With a search engine geared towards making finding ANYONE an easy task, do people not realize that one of the first things potential employers do is to look them up via FB or Google? If the many entertaining conversations I have had with friends in hiring positions are any indication, I can safely assume that most college graduates either skipped the lecture or simply didn’t think it could apply to them.

Believe me when I tell you that, though some of the things you post may do well in elevating your social status amongst your friend group, potential employers peruse these pictures while asking themselves, “what type of person is this individual?” Believe it or not, the ability to polish off a fifth, take a huge bong rip, or hook up with a new partner every few weeks is not exactly the type of person most companies are looking for, at least not a company of quality repute.

If you already happen to be employed, be aware that your employers are likely keeping an eye on you, especially if you tend to call in sick often. In fact, you can probably expect to find a pink slip in your mailbox one day if, instead of being home sick in bed, you choose to head off to the mountains to ski or to the beach to work on your tan, and lack the common sense to not rave about how awesome it was on your timeline. If your boss doesn’t see it, chances are good that at least one of your co-workers has access to your FB feed and, unless you are loved by all, there is a very good probability your transgression will be brought to the attention of someone in charge.

Believe it or not, the world is not as safe and secure as you may believe it to be. In the real world, there are actually consequences for bad choices.