Alexis Burling - What You Post Lasts Forever: Managing Your Social Media Presence

Published in 2020 by Enslow Publishing, LLC

101 W. 23rd Street, Suite 240, New York, NY 10011

Copyright 2020 by Enslow Publishing, LLC.

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced by any means without the written permission of the publisher.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Burling, Alexis.

Title: What you post lasts forever: managing your social media presence / Alexis Burling.

Description: New York: Enslow Publishing, 2020. | Series: Social media smarts | Includes

bibliographical references and index. | Audience: Grades 5-8.

Identifiers: ISBN 9781978507838 (library bound) | ISBN 9781978507937 (pbk.)

Subjects: LCSH: Social mediaJuvenile literature. | Online social networksJuvenile literature.

Classification: LCC HM742.B88 2020 | DDC 302.23/1dc23

Printed in the United States of America

To Our Readers: We have done our best to make sure all website addresses in this book were active and appropriate when we went to press. However, the author and the publisher have no control over and assume no liability for the material available on those websites or on any websites they may link to. Any comments or suggestions can be sent by email to .

Photo Credits: Cover, pp..

Contents

Introduction

I n the age of Snapchat, its tempting to think what you post on social media just vanishes. You can delete the texts and pics you send to your pals, right? So why cant you erase everything whenever the feeling strikes? Unfortunately, most technology doesnt work that wayand neither does social media. Once you post something, its out thereeven if you cant see it.

Take that oh-so-mortifying pic of you at your fifth-grade birthday party. You know, the one with you in all of your rainbow-braces glory making a silly face. While you might purge it from your own Instagram profile, the fact that your pal was the one who posted itand because its on other friends feedsmeans the pic is there to stay.

Still not convinced? Say youre fired up about a current political issue and post a YouTube video in which you air your grievances. Well never bar you from speaking your truth as long as its respectful. Say it loud; say it proud! But there could be unintended consequencesgood and badif your video goes viral. Once you post content on social media, its out of your hands. Anyone anywhere in the world can do whatever he or she wants with it, even if its not to your liking.

Heres the simple truth of it: While the feelings that motivated you to create the video arent permanent, the mere existence of the post is. Sure, you might think youll feel a certain way about an issue until you have gray hair down to your knees, but thats not always the case. More importantly, if some stranger or disgruntled person uses the old-you video against the new evolved you, theres not a whole lot you can do about it.

Not everything on social media vanishes like Snapchats Ghostface Chillah. Most of it is more permanent than you think.

More than 1.9 billion logged-in users worldwide visit YouTube each month. Every day, those people watch more than a billion hours of video. One of those videos could be yours.

But dont worry. Social media should be fun, not burdensome, and weve got you covered. In this book, youll learn what a digital footprint is and how it not only reflects your current thoughts and interests, but also how it can shape or impact the person you become in the future. (Hello, Miss Future CEO!) Youll find tons of helpful tips on whats OK to post, what should totally be avoided, and even a fun quiz. (Youre welcome.) Well also walk you through all the nitty-gritty details about how to tone and hone your digital presence, eradicate posts if you want to clean up your social media history, or even deactivate your profiles altogether if youve just had enough.

Actively managing your social media presence means youre taking full ownership of the way you interact with the world and how the world interacts with you. Say it all together now: Feelings are temporary. But what you post lasts forever.

Creating a Digital Footprint

I f youve done anything at all onlinevisited your favorite bands website, played a video game, or even read the newsyouve created whats called a digital footprint. It sounds ominous, but its really just a trail of breadcrumbs that shows your internet activity and all the websites youve visited. For adolescents and teens, one of the biggest contributors to their digital footprint is social media.

According to a 2018 Pew Research Center study, 95 percent of teens in the United States own smartphones and 45 percent are online almost constantly. While 3 percent say they dont use social media at all, about 85 percent use YouTube, 72 percent use Instagram, and 69 percent use Snapchat. Hopping on any one of these apps helps you not only keep up to speed with friends and family, but it also fills you in on what other teens and adults around the world are doing, watching, listening to, thinking about, and buying.

Staying active on social media can have some negative side effects. For example, the number of teens in the United States who often or sometimes encounter racist content on social media has jumped from 43 percent in 2012 to 52 percent in 2018, according to a 2018 study by Common Sense Media. of teens say they actually feel better about themselves after using social media.

Teens are on the weband social mediaAll. The. Time. Do you ever long for a screen break or think about the long-term consquences of your posts?

So why be a part of the social media scene at all? Because its way fun, almost always informative, and an ever-changing indicator of the latest hottest trends. Its also a great way to express whatever youre thinking or feeling at any given momentand a chance to get your creative juices flowing when inspiration strikes. #photooftheday

Lets be clear. Social media should never be a free for all. There are rules to followand plenty of pitfalls to avoid. Managing your digital footprint sounds easy peasy. But if you want to be responsible about it, its actually quite the opposite.

Profile Donts

To help you understand more about what not to do on social media, lets do an experiment. Raise your hand if your favorite thing to read on Facebook is what your friends eat for breakfast every day. How about a play-by-play via Snapchat of your BFFs first date with his crush on Saturday night? Finally, yell OMG, YES! if you want a recap on Instagram of your little brothers weekly Forbidden Island tournaments with his geeksquad crew, dorky pics included.

Not one hand raised? No spontaneous yells? Theres a reason for that. Its because no one wants to see those things on social media. Why? One word (well, technically three): #TMI.

Creating a social media profile is super fun. But remember: dont overshare. Not everyone needs to know everything. When you post, be selective.