Social Media and Digital Reputation
August 2021
Social Media is all forms of electronic communication (such as websites for social networking and microblogging) through which users create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, and other content (such as videos).
Social media has become a part of everyday life and has been around since the launch of Myspace in 2003. Since then, we have seen Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tiktok, Flickr, Telegram and Yolo all blow up across everyone’s screens.
What effects has the use of social media had on today’s generation?
While these social media apps are handy and the new way of communicating, there are also some real concerns that have popped up over the past decade. Teens and young adults today are partaking in most conversations while they are looking at a screen, instead of having these conversations face to face. Learning to use social skills is being swept under the carpet. Then there is the stress and anxiety associated with the use of social media and the fear of missing out, or FOMO if you will. There is also the opportunity for teens to be keyboard warriors, where cyberbullying through these apps is a real concern. More about this in next month’s topic.
The second part of this edition is the digital reputation that our young people are making for themselves. We have heard time and time again that once information makes its way online, it can be very difficult to delete, even if we think that it is deleted on the particular app. Text and pictures can be easily shared as soon as they are posted, even if we think that these are done so privately.
The esafety commissioner states that :
“The people and sites you follow, the content you post, like or share, and the comments you make, all contribute to your digital reputation.
Your digital reputation can affect your friendships, relationships and even your job prospects for the rest of your life, so it’s very important that you are careful about the picture you paint of yourself online.”
The interviews and resources below are to assist our young people and families about how to protect their digital reputation online and in social media and what to do should it all go wrong.
Resources
Videos:
Digital reputation | What comes up when you Google yourself? – YouTube
Be Deadly Online – Dumb Stuff – YouTube
Be Deadly Online – Little Things – YouTube
Be Deadly Online – Digital Footprint (Web) – YouTube
Be Deadly Online – That’s Not Team Spirit – YouTube
Social Media Quiz:
Social Media Quiz 2021 | Test Your Knowledge About Social Network (bapugraphics.com)
Factsheets:
Young People and Social Media Factsheet – Legal Services Commission of SA (lsc.sa.gov.au)
Online safety | Child Family Community Australia (aifs.gov.au)
Fact sheet – Instant messaging
Fact sheet – Protecting your information
Fact sheet – Self-generated sexual content or personal image sharing
Fact sheet – Sharing harmful or illegal content
Fact sheet – Social networking and meeting people
Practical tips for parents:
Privacy and your child | eSafety Commissioner
Your digital reputation | eSafety Commissioner
Online safety | Child Family Community Australia (aifs.gov.au)