Most college students have a social media profile that they use to connect with other people – not only in their own college, but also in the rest of the world. Some of your social media platforms allow you to follow your favorite celebrity or your best friend from high school. However, social media can be a bit unregulated, and while people will give you vague rules on engagement, it can still be easy to slip through. Sure, you may feel like you are hiding behind a thick digital wall, but you would be surprised how thin this wall is. This is why you want to be very careful posting some information. Here are five things college students should never do on social media.
- Post Anything Having to do with Illegal Activities
Social media in college can be really positive, but it can also turn to the dark side very quickly. If you engage in any activities that break college rules, you don’t want to post them just to show off to your friends and followers. The same goes for any illegal activities. You probably don’t want to engage in these activities in the first place.
- Say Bad Things About Your Teachers
Whether you are going to Vermont Law Online or College of The Atlantic, you never want to post anything disparaging about your professors. Your professors are there to teach you and inform you. Sure, some may be stricter, but that is no excuse to post hateful things on social media. The truth of the matter is that some of your teachers may even be following you, so you really want to be careful.
- Bully Other Students
On top of not bullying your professors, you also don’t want to post anything that bullies other people. Indeed, cyber bullying is a major problem in high schools and colleges. The things you say online can be very hurtful and they can cause someone to do harm to themselves and others. Ideally, you want to be as peaceful as possible – even if someone sends you a negative comment.
- Make Public Any Confident Information
Of course, you never want to post information that is confidential. For instance, you don’t want to post pictures of credit cards or financial documents. Moreover, you don’t want to post your social security number. On top of that, you don’t want to post your personal address. The web has its fair share of predators, so you want to constantly be aware. Not only could your physical self be harmed – you could also be financially harmed as well.
- Share Any Overly Personal Comments
On top of everything, you don’t want to post comments that are too personal. Too much information is sometimes way too much information and you could be embarrassed by the comment later. Also, you never know who is looking at your page – a professor, a friend or even an employer may be following you. In the end, you want to make the best call when posting an update.