Your Facebook wall is more than just frivolous information or random content being posted. If you seriously think about it, consider employers hiring and firing based on an individual’s Facebook updates. It’s simple; your posts are an extension of you.
Whether you’re posting what you had for dinner, the latest in fashions trends, or going as far as sharing your deepest and darkest secrets, it’s all information about you. Even when you think you’re being mysterious and keeping your personal life private, your posts can give an interested party insight into who you are as a person, your likes and dislikes, or whether you’re someone hiding behind a computer and connecting solely with people through an electronic device or a person enjoying life filled with face-to-face relationships with others.
I never understood why so many relationships ended up on the cutting room floor and oftentimes I believe Facebook is the blame. However after asking the right questions I began to understand and learn some of the reasons why. Although a simple question, the response to “What is on your mind,” can determine whether you’re someone hiding behind your computer or if you’re taking advantage of life and enjoying personal relationships that enrich your life. Photos on vacation, of hanging with friends, dinner at the hottest restaurants in town, or a photo on the dance floor all provide insights into your world and what is going on.
Posts give more information about who we are than we realize. We may fool ourselves into thinking it’s just a sneak peak into our lives, but it’s actually more than just a sneak peak. We are human and each of us has an ego that draws us to Facebook. We are noisy in nature and it helps us sometimes to see that our lives are better than the next person’s. However the down fall is that we’re hurting ourselves when we try to keep up with the “Jones.”
There is a saying I abide by, “You are responsible for the energy you bring into this space.” There is a space for everything from your place of work, your home and even your Facebook profile. Once I understood the true meaning of the saying, I realized that included everything I write and do on Facebook. From the pictures I post, to the friends I am photographed with, the places I frequent, the food I eat, and even the beverages I drink.
I have been known to photograph an alcoholic beverage from time to time, however it was not until I met a business associate last year that I no longer post pictures of me holding an alcoholic beverage. Perception may be a bitch but knowledge is power. You might drink like a fish but everyone doesn’t need to know that or see that. Even though a handful of photographs of glasses (possibly perceived to be alcoholic) has less implication that you drink a lot, when you’re seen holding a glass and having a good time in every picture you post, there is less room for interpretation. That’s one lesson I am grateful she shared with me. It’s also why I started to study and pay closer attention to what I post.
Facebook posts and status updates are like history books, when you look hard enough, you’re likely to find something more than you bargained for. The moral of this story, stop, think, and then post! A suggestion that possibly might save you from asking the dreaded question, “why is this happening to me.”
