By Dulce Carrillo
Social media website users are usually unaware of the consequences that come with exposing personal information on the internet.
I use Facebook to keep in touch with my friends and family who are in Mexico. I was excited to show my mom a picture of relatives, but as I logged on Facebook an extremely provocative picture of a woman popped out on my screen.
My mom, who was looking over my shoulder, immediately gave me a strange look. She said, “Dulce, those are not my little nieces. What’s going on? Are you turning lesbian?”
Although these pictures can be disturbing, it was not the first time I had seen pictures of women exposing themselves on Facebook. It’s like young women use their appearance to search for attention in social media sites in order to feel accepted by others.
Facebook has changed the way we see each other. If attention seekers do not get as many ‘likes’ or comments on their photos they will feel left out and friendless.
Most importantly, we should all be aware when applying for a job, employers are able to search us through social media websites.
My suggestion is to stop uploading pictures or letting friends tag you in pictures that you would not want your employer to see. It could cause one to lose a job, or hurt their chances of getting hired.
A couple of my colleagues regret uploading pictures of a party night, especially since they have co-workers as friends on Facebook.
These employees were talked about at work and those pictures were shown to their supervisor. There is personal information that people can find and share to others.
This is a small world and anything you post about other people can easily come back to you. Avoid sexual pictures. It may not see important, but posting these pictures can ruin reputations and ruin your chances at a job.
Be careful. Don’t let social media take control of your life.