Who Are You?

Who are you? I mean, who are you, really?

Imagine this scenario: As much as you've scoffed at online dating, you've decided to put your pride aside and meet up with this cutie that you met online through a mutual Facebook friend. You decide to meet at a popular restaurant, a place that is guaranteed to be safely populated. After sitting in the lounge area for thirty minutes your starting to think that you've been stood up. As you get up to leave your date texts you and says, "Are u almost here? I've been waiting in the lounge area for fifteen minutes. I'm wearing a blue sweater."

You look up and scan the room. Your eyes land on the only person wearing a blue sweater, but it looks nothing like the modelesque Facebook friend you've been chatting with for weeks. You finally get up and approach anyway.

"[Insert name here]?"

Your date laughs. "No! That's just my Facebook name. My real name is..."

You're out the door before your date finishes the statement.

*

Okay, so maybe that scenario was slightly exaggerated; but honestly, it could happen. Some may think that social media allows for us to reveal ourselves to the world. But who are we really revealing? With so many parents, grandparents, little cousins, possible soul mates and even possible employers "friending" and "following" us, our expression of self may become slightly...different.

Personally, I'm not ashamed to say my Facebook page has become my online resume'...for good reason. Last week there was an event in the journalism school in which media professionals came to offer internships to students. At one of the panel discussions, they emphasized the importance of monitoring our "digital footprint."

"The first thing we do when reviewing a possible employee is Google them. We check out Facebook pages and any other social media that they may be taking part in," said one of the panelists. "We examine your digital footprint before we even look at your application."

But how far do we go to portray the person that we want others to see? In my opinion, your social media persona should reflect the most positive aspects of yourself. You shouldn't be fake, but you should be cautious. Be cautious of posting pictures with you victoriously holding the infamous red cup. Be cautious when giving yourself a fake name or even a "phrased middle-name" on Facebook like "John EverydayImHustlin Doe." (Only Beyonce' has a socially acceptable alter-ego). Be cautious of participating in trending topics like #thatswhyicantbetrusted.

Social media has allowed us to create a world where everyone can see each other. We can see what people are talking about, what they look like and even what they do. But, who are you really? Does your Internet presence reflect that? Social media is just a reflection of society- and there are many different people in a society. Some represent themselves well, some falsely represent and some represent themselves in a negative way. How are you representing yourself?

The fact-of-the-matter is that more people are looking at you more than you think. And if you want to just be you, that's fine...but you'd better adjust your privacy settings.