In today’s society, there are millions of people who utilize tools online to get to know others all around the globe. This includes voice calling, video chatting, texting, sharing posts and other fun things that are offered on online services. However, everything placed online may also permanently stay there forever. Are we using the internet sensibly enough, or should we be more aware of the traces that we leave behind?
Using social media sensibly
There have been many times in my life where I have had to help friends to lock their profile down, hide it or help them remove publicity options so others couldn’t find it. This may come from various reasons, both personal and for safety. However, one thing that people forget is that you agree to people accessing your life if you create an online profile and share your thoughts- Hence the name “social” media. It is very important to understand who can access what whether you are an organization, an official site or an individual looking for a network. The only question that you need to ask yourself is; What is the purpose of what I’m about to do- and what reaction will it have?
When applying for work, the first thing that I hear people talk about is whether their Facebook contains embarrassing information or not. Employers usually go to online profiles to check what type of person you are and what you spend your time on. This is why there’s so much talk about “how you want to be portrayed”, since the things put online might affect how people see you as an individual. Furthermore, the information we put online also gets spread to our families as well our friends. Sometimes we could end up in public arguments with others online, which represents a negative perspective of who we are. It could as well be as simple as a statement, but even the smallest things can ascend into bigger and more complicated discussions. This is why it is extremely important to give every trace you leave behind a second thought.
Sadly, not everyone thinks this way, and it shows how forgetful we can be and how we sometimes forget the audience we are posting to. As someone who has grown up with a keyboard in my lap, I can say that I’ve been on both sides and seen all parts of the spectrum. From the experience I’ve had, I believe we need a little realization of what social media really is a tool for. That does not only regard your social profile, but also in all the other ways you can be manipulated.
Social engineering and threats
It is not only social media awareness that is important. Internet connectivity means anyone in the world can contact us. This includes people to have access to who we are and utilize this information for malicious purposes- and social media is the honey pot for all personally identifiable information.
Social engineering may present as one of the greatest threats to confidentiality today, and it’s important to understand that everything posted on the internet remains there as a digital footprint forever. When you share things on social media you are making your private information public. That information can help provide to assist attackers to know things like our geographic location, contact information, close family relations, and even personality traits. To illustrate, imagine if a dog lover posts pictures of puppies and her Facebook says she is born in 2004, It would be natural for her password to be Doglover04 for instance. As someone who has helped raise awareness of this, I have shown companies how I could easily infiltrate a network only through a few Google searches. It’s very impressive, at the same time as it’s very scary how the human need for connection and networking is a big vulnerability to security today.
Another example of social engineering is impersonation. When you are looking and searching for public and famous people online, you will often find both the official user, but also many impersonated “fan” accounts. Even if you might not be the world’s most famous person, you could ask yourself; “What would I do if someone stole my identity and impersonated me without my consent? If all I really had to do was just review my security settings.” This all supports my statement that social media is the honey pot for all personally identifiable information and should be sensibly used. Especially when keeping in mind that these social media accounts could also be easily hacked into.
Consequences and what to do
Ultimately, all these examples could ends up in a variety of outcomes; Energy wasted on online blackmailing, being exposed to people who you’d rather not know are looking at your life, or even loss of job caused by defamation. However, there are tips and tricks you can do to prevent mistakes to happen;
Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all support features to make your profile private so strangers can’t access them. This is extremely useful and should be taken into consideration at all times. It could also be smart to check your profile if you have sensitive information online- which could be as simple as a picture with your family when you’re travelling, just to prevent others from knowing that they can break into an empty house. You can also always have a talk about the need and necessity to post and share with the people around you if you’re ever unsure. Personally I also suggest to keep as much private information off of the internet as possible: Date of birth, Full name, Birth Place and so on. It creates a more safe environment for you to be yourself, while still keeping things shielded from the outside world. In conclusion, always ask yourself if there is a need for posting the content because you never know what or who you might stumble upon.
Conclusion
The internet, and especially the social media platforms are continuously evolving and improving. The more technologies we are being presented, the more factors we need to keep in mind. Sadly, there are no permanent remedies for how someone can use their online information safely and out of harm’s way. There will always be flaws in people’s actions whether it is habits, customs or simply laziness. However, there are tons of ways to educate ourselves and realize how many threats and repercussions there are from simply expressing political emotions, sharing our personal private emails and other relevant posts in our life. Eventually, it is important to always have in mind that everything we leave out there, will remain out there.
Listen to Old Soul while reading this article: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSrZC4PDpLk
