MILLIONS are updating their statuses and profiles on their social media platforms every second. As you read this, people around the world are sharing some detail of their daily life – what they ate, who they’ve been with, what they’re seeing, what they’re doing at the moment…
But is all this constant sharing healthy? And are we revealing too much?
For businesses, getting personal is par for the course. Familiarity with their followers via the most popular platforms helps the connection and in turn, helps the brand. When followers “trust” the brand, they are likely to make a purchase. But what goes for individuals?
Here’s what you should know.
1. Never post your home address, phone numbers, date of birth, information about your kids, vacation plans, grudges and complaints about work (yes, HR checks them!), intimate photos, and financial information. Keep in mind cybercriminals are getting savvier by the second.
2. Cybercriminals include online predators that do everything from identity fraud, cyber-bullying, home burglary, and social engineering schemes (the art of tricking someone into revealing information or taking action).
3. On Facebook, control privacy details on your “About” page as well as who sees your timeline posts. You may also want to keep watch on who can access you via your messages or those who can search you using your email address and phone number. Other privacy tips include logging out once you’re done and avoiding connecting to public wifi for logging into sites.
In addition to safety issues and on the other side of the fence, too much “self-broadcasting” can lead to comparison and problems with self-validation. When we see people posting videos and photos of their holidays, new purchases, and lunch outs at all those fancy restaurants, we can’t help but feel deflated that our life seems more mundane. You or someone you know may already be suffering from a depressive illness and browsing through those “#blessed” photos can do more harm than “#goodvibes”. Another issue that isn’t talked about too much is how social media can brainwash. Influencers and companies spend money on procuring content. What they post and when they post aren’t spur-of-the-moment decisions. Experts are hired just for content. Unfortunately, our brains can’t tell the difference between what’s real and what isn’t. This means that you may not be entirely to blame when your “add to cart” habit leads to checking out.
Let’s be mindful of our use of social media by asking ourselves how its use makes us feel and behave. Don’t lurk and passively scroll through a perpetual list of posts. Don’t believe everything you see either. While taking a permanent social media detox may be too extreme, we can maintain physical and mental safety by limiting social media interactions to those with whom we share real-world relationships.
Real world tips from the BPO that cares for you and your mental flora and fauna… NEARSOL.
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NEARSOL is a US-based BPO and service company that offers clients custom-design solutions. It began operations in 2006 and has since gained a strong presence in the Latin American regions, the Caribbean, and the Asia Pacific, winning many awards for quality and service along the way. Most recent of which is its Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition.
The Great Place to Work-Certified™ Recognition is a global accreditation that tells stakeholders what employees think of the company culture. In brief, it says a lot about the happiness and productivity index in NEARSOL. The certification process shows that employees are satisfied with the working environment and that they trust the leaders.
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Visit NEARSOL.US and apply through NIA, NEARSOL’s recruitment chatbot and personalized platform for the application process.
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