To be apart of social media is to not only toss your thoughts into the public sphere but to hear the opinions of celebrities, politicos, chefs and even brands that otherwise are out of reach. I am no stranger to social media; with a Twitter, Facebook, Foursquare and other online presence I am in the social sphere, though not 100%.
Lately my thoughts and opinions feel harnessed. Behind every tweet there is a thought process that edits down my opinion to a 140 character snapshot of what I was thinking. Behind every Facebook status is a spell check and content check. Even now as I write this blog I find myself stopping at points--not letting the words flow casually--and I was a journalism major!
So why do I do it? The fact is that social media feels like an open field riddled with hidden land mines. I would love to let my every thought and opinion flow and engage my readers, but the truth is that each post runs through a mental screening.
Who will see this?
Is it inappropriate?
Does it reveal too much?
What will the repercussions of sharing this be?
Will this affect my reputation?
I admire people that take off their social media muzzle and let their thoughts flow; in truth I think it is these people that have the biggest social presence--they aren't held back. The fact is that there is a very fine line that we walk when we share our lives online; clearly no one can afford to be too candid at risk of burning bridges or ruining reputations. But at the same time people should not hold back and risk being passive--only using social media as a medium to agree or follow but never to state an opinion.
Choose carefully how you represent yourself in the social media sphere; after all reputation is your most prized possession, but don't smother your personality in the process because it is your opinions, thoughts and point of view that defines you and creates your footprint in the social media landscape.
No comments:
Post a Comment