Don’t skip the FINE PRINT Protecting Your Online Reputation

By Michael E. Habeeb, J.D., Adjunct Professor, Mass Communications

Here’s a key piece of career advice: become media literate. In today’s job market, it is not only important to create a professional image on social media but to protect it as well.

Media literacy means knowing not only how and where to post your information, but how social media sites—and potential employers—can use that information.

Have you ever posted a potentially embarrassing photo to Facebook? Or a thoughtless and harmful rant to Twitter? Or a video featuring a wild exploit to TikTok?

You have a fundamental right to keep your private information private, whether it’s detrimental to your image or not, but having the right to do so and being able to do so are very different things. If you don’t want others to know about something, you probably shouldn’t post it to social media. Other than not using the platforms or exercising extreme caution when posting any form of information, there is no foolproof way for you to protect your information or developing professional image.

Media literacy, however, can help. You can learn, for instance, how to delete a photo or tweet on your laptop or mobile device or to make your personal information accessible only to friends and not to the public (all platforms or a simple Internet search can show you how to do this).

Whether you are using LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat or any online platform, you can at least make an attempt to safeguard your data and reputation by following these media literacy suggestions:

—Become well-versed in just what and how much privacy settings protect.

Read a platform’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy (a big ask, a big task, but worth it). You will usually find that by using a “free” platform, you are agreeing to allow the platform to view and use your information to sell ads to companies. Do platforms permit you to disallow this and still use the platform? The general answer is no.

Talk to your friends, other users, and Internet experts about what they know about internet privacy protection. Watch documentaries on privacy and read articles and books, such as Mark Poepsel’s Media, Society, Culture and You.

If you know recruiters or other acquaintances in the Human Resources, People, or Talent department at a company, ask them how much information on prospective employees they actually obtain and use in making hiring determinations.

If you want to dig deep into privacy knowledge, you can study the right-to-privacy amendment in the U.S. Constitution, along with researching Internet privacy to find out whether a platform can legally use information about you. This all sounds like a lot—and it is— but it takes considerable work to be fully informed.

Ultimately, it’s well worth it to protect against getting hit by a car you never saw.

Taking Care of You

Protecting your reputation is important, but so is protecting yourself emotionally amidst the turmoil of social media. Giselle Martinez, Adjunct Professor of Psychology, offers some tips to help you keep your peace of mind:

— Be mindful of the content you share: Ask yourself, “why am I sharing this?” Is it to show off or get some quick validation? Or are you genuinely excited to share a piece of your life with your followers?

Don’t compare yourself to the online persona of another, especially if they seem to have it all together. Constantly comparing yourself to others can lead to feelings of inadequacy and low self-esteem.

Take care of your mental health: pay attention to how social media makes you feel. If it’s bringing you down or causing major stress, it may be time to take a break or talk to a professional about it.