Facebook posts have consequences. Our words and pictures carry far into the expanse of the Internet, and forgetting this is an unhealthy — even dangerous — habit.
We feel free of repercussions due to a misconception of our Facebook audience. We are led to post personal material assuming we are sending it out to a sympathetic group. However, such an idea of “friends” is expansive. We can only have so many close friends, yet Facebook encourages us to throw the label around as though friends are anyone we know, and sometimes people we don’t know. We are tempted to accept this expansive definition because it makes us feel popular. Many of our Facebook friends should be considered Facebook acquaintances. As we forget who our audience is — or that we even have one — we are in danger of damaging relationships, harming future careers and putting our safety in jeopardy.
Facebook is pretty casual, but next time you interview for a job, your page might be read with a professional outlook. An unsuitable comment or inappropriate picture would cross you off of a potential employee list.
Words carry permanence, and Facebook is no exception. One of the most mind-blowing aspects of writing is its permanence. On Facebook, we are only partially aware of the power of our words, and we may misrepresent ourselves if we post on a whim.
Hannah Bennion
Las Vegas, Nevada
