I am a true child of the internet. I remember when the internet was still not a thing and was more like a novelty that some people accessed sometimes, and I will forever have my first foray onto the internet etched into my memory. It was when Prodigy was still around (look it up) and we waited about 15 minutes for a Babysitter's Club story page to load from the web. When Windows 98 was made available on my first very own computer, I discovered AIM and Yahoo, and my world would never be the same.

As technology evolved, so did the internet. Socializing on the web gave way to social media, with specific platforms that shared specific content. AIM and Yahoo had no clue how big these things would be, as evident by their demise. And I don't need to tell you all about what social media is; if you have a pulse, chances are you have an account with at lease one social media service (which includes LinkedIn). I mean, even my mom has an account with every major platform, and she still types with her index fingers.

Things have evolved since this wonderful phase of our reality.

However, there's a difference between growing up on the internet and using the internet as an adult, student, and professional. I got my first glimpse of this when a professor at FIDM (very publicly) berated me for having a portfolio on a public and very unprofessional (and now defunct) artist's platform. I did not understand what was wrong with having an account there then, but now I can see that I was unwittingly associating myself with art and artists that could be seen as unprofessional just by being on that site, and thus, could be giving the impression that I was condoning artwork I did not agree with or even like. But more on that later. Here's what's important though:

The world is run on perception, and if you cannot control the perception of others (which you can't), you need to be careful of the image you craft.

That isn't to say that I don't respect the rights of artists to do whatever they want. I truly believe in the freedom of art, and to each their own, etc. and so forth. And some of you reading this may be in the mindset of, "F--- it, it's my life and I don't care! I am not going to walk on eggshells to the 'what if'!" To that specific aim, and to the specific audience receptive of that attitude, that is perfectly OK. But most of the world does not, and if you want to dip your toe in the rest of the world, then caution is needed when utilizing the social media platforms available to you.

Here's some things to consider when engaging on these public platforms:

Private does not mean private.

Many social media platforms have private settings so that you can make your account invisible to those who don't follow you, like Instagram and Facebook. However, never mistake that what you put on a private account will stay private. Others can always take a screenshot and share it. You cannot control who will do what, and chances are you have a "friend" who would love nothing more for you to post something that can be used against you. It is wonderful to believe that you are surrounded by nothing but love and support, and no one would ever betray you in such a way, but don't give anyone that chance.

Remember, the internet is not like Las Vegas. What happens on the net doesn't stay on the net.

I believed that there was a boundary between The Internet and Real Life, and I think many believed this as well. The term IRL (in real life) refers to the two lives you led: one life was full of the everyday things of jobs and school and feeding your cat. The other was full of video games, art, memes, outspoken opinions, and more. You could put one life away to enjoy the other. However, this boundary is no longer real. Who you are on the net is who you are IRL. You created this presence. It is of you! You cannot be a respectable member of the community during the day and a raging Nazi troll at night, and not expect for this behavior to remain separate. This is a very extreme example, using behavior that I feel needs to be found out anyway.

Which brings me to the point: if I were a hiring manager, admissions counselor, recruiter, or anything like that, I'd want to know if my future associate or student was a raging Nazi troll! I'd probably Google you to see what comes up (and if you are a Nazi anyway, please stop reading this post...you need to be found out!).

Now let's pretend. I'm a hiring manager or admissions counselor and I am looking at you as a prospective new hire or new student to my campus. Think about your social media presence. Is there anything you would not want me to see?

How do you ensure you are putting out an image of yourself that matters? Think about boundaries and the concentric circle diagram. At the center is you, your personal self. Not everything about you needs to be shared with the world, and keeping that boundary does not mean you are not being true to yourself. It means you respect yourself enough to know that there are some parts of yourself that need to be held sacred, thus entitled to reverence and respect. Some of these things that you would never share or give power away to someone else is personal respect, body autonomy, personal responsibility, and things like safety and security.

Via here.

Beyond the circle of Self is your immediate surroundings. If you have a spouse, this circle is probably shared between just you and them. After that circle is your immediate family, and what you share just with them. Now, if you notice, what you share may appear more limited as your circles expand. Don't think about it as limiting yourself. Think of it as each circle is a gate, and what is allowed to pass in to each circle. Who you allow to see that side of yourself is respecting yourself.

At the very last circle is the public self. This is what you allow others to see. This is where your social media presence lies and your sacred self ends.  

If there is anything in your social media that you feel someone could possibly use against you, to fire you, or to pass you up opportunity wise, it belongs within your boundaries, and not on social media.

Who you are on the internet today matters, not who you will be on the internet tomorrow.

When recruiters look you up, they are getting a picture of who you are. Your resume only does so much for you. Recruiters want to see what you do in your spare time, what your life looks like, and can glean from what you post a sliver of what represents you. They want someone whose image is something that is compatible to their own, and whose behavior they will feel is a good fit as a representative of their brand. That isn't to say that if you want to be a car designer in the future that your social media needs to be nothing but cars cars cars cars cars! What I means is, your social media should reflect who you are as a respectful and professional person.

This is where the "growing up" part comes into play.

Before I really came to this realization, my social media was a hodgepodge of whatever I thought was relevant to me. I treated every platform the same, and used each one as a storage of my thoughts and whims, which is fine, but not professional. Memes, cute dog videos, characters of shows and books I liked, pictures of family members, opinions, random weird stuff like bottlecaps with sayings on them...it had no cohesion and didn't tell a story of who I was in a way that others could understand.

I was expecting a random audience to be able to read between the lines. And when you leave yourself up to interpretation, you are giving up the power of who you are to be determined by someone else, and that should only be done by you. And you should never leave a recruiter to figure out who you are.

Use each social media platform strategically.

Many people use every account they have the same way, which does no justice to the specific nature of each platform. There is a marked difference to each platform! Instagram is not Twitter, Facebook is not Tumblr, and Snapchat is not LinkedIn! Social media marketers will use the nuances of each platform to hook a specific audience, but that's not what we're going for here. Here we're trying to manage your personal presence in a very interpersonal way.

• Instagram: This is a photo album where the photo tells the story. Yes, you can add words into it, but for the most part, the audience is trained to take the image posted for face value. Not everyone is going to click into a picture to read just why you posted a cartoon of a certain political candidate in a demeaning situation. They are just going to see that you posted it. If your audience clicks into your account and sees a lot of stuff that they could perceive as unsavory, they're going to click right out and not come back. How to use: Use it as a blogging tool about your life as you would like others to see it but in the moment. This is why you see so many food bloggers using Instagram. Food is temporary, and so are fun memories, moments, locales, vacations, etc. People love to see the interesting parts of the mundane. Use Instagram as a tool to appreciate the life you live by documenting it like a time capsule. 
• Facebook: This started out as a place for college students to network with each other, but turned out to be a slightly more sophisticated Myspace. This can be a hodgepodge of things, but I like to think of it as the space between your life and television. Its where you go to live your life when you aren't consuming media or giving it out. That's why advertisers are so keen to insert their presence into it. They know this is the magic in-between. How to use: You know those circles I talked about? This is for the Friends and Family circles. Do not post anything you wouldn't want your momma to see! And do not invite coworkers or fellow students to this space. Why? Because they can take whatever you post, twist the context, and share it. Facebook is notorious for changing its privacy settings on you without you knowing. You may think you are posting in private, then come to find out your friend saw you complaining about her, and suddenly you're in the middle of a Mean Girls plotline. Or worse. Besides, you deserve a space for Friends and Family. And, you can crosspost mostly anything from other accounts there anyway, so it is not like you are limited very much.
• Pinterest: Pinterest is not a social media platform. Many people think it is, because you find stuff you like and pin it, and others repin what you pin, etc. However, the pin or saving feature is minuscule to what it really is: a visual search engine! That's the whole appeal to it anyway. You can use it to search for images of your OTP, and save them to a private board, but it is actually a very handy tool for yourself, and crafting yourself as an image to others. How to use: Use it to search about how to do more. How to be a better college student, mom, professional, you name it. Have visual placeholders (boards) for what inspires you. Here is where you can use what others post to craft the "read between the lines" that you want others to see. And what is great about Pinterest is that others who see your pins can use them to help themselves. Now, this isn't to say that you can't use Pinterest to create the perfect princess birthday party for your toddler. Go right ahead. But the boards about fandoms and games and how to make the perfect cocktail should probably between you, yourself, and your private boards.
• Tumblr/Deviantart/message boards/other "shared" or community spaces: Oh boy. I have a love/hate relationship with Tumblr. I think that once you hit a certain age, the days of Tumblr should be behind you only because you are who you hang out with and that includes maturity level. There's a certain stigma around Tumblr and Deviantart users, and while I don't care about stigmas anyway, there will be people who care very much (and that isn't to say that there aren't some important messages and incredible art on these sites, not at all) and be turned off by the mere mention of these platforms. How to use: I only go to these sites for drawing references, stock photos, tips, and tutorials. After that, I don't use them much. I do have a Tumblr for this blog but honestly, do not use it. Why? You cannot control what others will post or comment. Remember about what you post to these sites: just because you don't post it doesn't mean you won't be associated with it. Yes, I understand that technically this isn't true. But there are people out there who cannot make this discernment and here is why: you are directing them to an URL that is not yours, a site you did not design, and to content and comments that can be easily construed outside of a context with a very narrow understanding. Then, the user friendliness of these sites are often directed towards those who actively use them, not one-off visitors. The content and layout may be confusing, and the first thing a person does when they are confused on a website is click Home, which takes them to content that is not yours. Is that a chance you want to take? And even if you are not directing people to these sites, the content is easy to Google and never goes away. I have a personal website for my portfolio, and will use Instagram for outreach of my art. How you use these sites is up to you, but I'd do so with caution.
• Twitter: Someone once said to me that Twitter is like a room full of people who are all hawking their own wares to each other. No one else is interested in what other people are doing, just in the chance to badmouth them and direct attention to themselves. From a marketing standpoint that can be true, but for yourself, think of Twitter as a place to quickly insert your opinion...and be prepared that no one will care unless you can be more outrageous than the next person (hence why Trump is so popular there). Twitter was created for quick microblogging, and has evolved over time. How to use: Use it to connect with other people in your "community." I don't mean this as in your neighborhood or anything like that. I'm saying that if you are a non-traditional student, use it to connect with other non-traditional students. Twitter is used by communities like writers, artists, students, political affiliations, and cliques to quickly connect with each other when they are not face to face. And like Facebook, you can post stuff from other platforms to Twitter. And verbosity is not your friend here; you need to get your message across quickly and succinctly, because the audience will be onto the next outrageous attention grabber by the time they can figure out what you're trying to say.
• Youtube/video streaming: Youtube is to us what cable TV was to the people of the 80s. Its just another way to get to the content you want while making public TV channels worry that you're not watching their programs. But it is also a video storage place, like photobucket was for photos (or flickr for photographers). And video streaming sites are used to live stream visual "podcasts" if you will. How to use: Be careful about what you post to this site. No one will ever forget your face saying something hateful. I remember an instance where a kid in school posted something about why women aren't being objectified in video games, and my opinion of an otherwise bright young man with leadership qualities went way down. I actually stopped following him on any platform. And some people use these channels to stream art. Use these platforms to post stuff relevant to school and work, like tutorials, art streaming, and assignments. If you think no one can record what you say and do off a private video, think again. I have two programs for clip grabbing on my computer, and one for recording my screen, turning a video playing into a video saved. If I can do it, think of who else could do it.
• LinkedIn: LinkedIn is a wannabe Facebook for professionals, and is also a job search engine for some choice jobs. I only mention this place because this is where your future recruiter is going to look first when they see your name cross their desk. How to use: Use it to further explain your professional self where your resume cannot. It is the in-between of your personal website/portfolio and your resume/CV. Do not share or post anything you wouldn't want your supervisor to see! Despite the levels of privacy settings, people can get around them and see what you post and share. Use it to show off who you are and what you can do, but also to learn more about navigating the workforce of today. For example, I follow Liz Ryan, who has been invaluable to me just in her articles alone on how to keep boundaries in the workplace, and how to be an advocate for myself. Use it to network, job search, connect with colleagues and professors (yes, really), and to plan your career. I could make a whole post about how to use LinkedIn, but remember that nothing personal goes here ever.

Remember, the key to making social media work in your favor is in your hands alone.

Of course, what I have posted here only touches on the surface of each platform. The point of all this, again, is to mature with social media without neglecting it as a very important tool that is a part of our society and culture. That maturity comes when you see the boundaries needed not as restrictions but again, as gates. You don't see it so much as protection from the big bad but as levels of respect that are built to honor yourself. Your image is a tool for yourself to get ahead, not something to consider as a conformity. When crafted carefully, it is a business card that goes beyond the capabilities of a resume, application, or cover letter.  

How have you used social media to get ahead? Was there ever an instance where you realized your social media was not as personal or private as you thought?