Alex Shaw

So in total I only have 2 social media platforms, Facebook and Snapchat. On my Facebook profile all of my security settings are maxed out which means no google search will find my profile. For the most part anything I share or show is only shown to those I want and nothing can be seen on my profile without being my friend first. The reason for having my Facebook completely secure is majorly due to my current occupation and future occupation in the Air Force where anything from my personal life could be used against me for extortion or to hurt those I care about. On my snapchat account I only send pictures and talk to a handful of people while only posting stories of events or food. I only accept friend requests on both accounts from people I know and trust or those I am getting to know, if I receive a request from someone I don’t know, I ignore them. After googling my name I found nothing having to do with me, even further searching and going to the mythical page two of google there was still nothing. In images, there are plenty of people with my name but none of the pictures show me. It’s surreal to see yourself on google when googling yourself, but it’s even more so when nothing of yourself shows up. It may sadden some people to see that their not coming up but for me, I find it great. In my career and future career having a presence online could not only be dangerous but could be negative for my career especially when getting a top secret security clearance.

On social media I am more of a lurker (sounds weird but it’s an internet term) I rarely post things online and only to do so when I need to. For the most part, my posts involve air force activities and my relationships at that time. This makes me seem not very active but for the most part I just don’t see a reason to post most of the things I do. I feel that somethings are better enjoyed in private and aren’t needed for the world or friends I’m not close to, to know and for the most part, I forget to post whatever I’ve done. For me, the way I’m seen on social media is perfectly okay with me but for others it is a problem. The problem arises from relationships where those you date want you to be more active on social media with the relationship and share all the things you do. I feel however you are on social media whether you constantly update or never update is completely okay and everyone will use it differently. There is no set way to use social media other than the way you want to.

In connection with Black Mirror which can show how having the ability to rewind every memory, every word can be detrimental in the end, that’s how I see social media. Some important memories are always good, birthdays, vacations, fun events. But day to day life isn’t something that has to be a permanent memory for all to see. And sometimes, not all the time, can even cause trouble in your life. Obviously in black mirror, this was good because it exposed a cheating wife for the husband, but in the end it caused harm to two other people. The ability to look back can also cause pain because it brings up memories that you had forgotten, a lost friend or family member, a time when everything was okay. All this is not to say that having memories online is all bad, and for the most part it’s good; but the times where it is bad, can be devastating.