TECH4GOOD
In this digital age, where social media has become an integral part of our lives, we usually are not so conscious about what we post online, forgetting that those can have a lasting impact on our reputation. It is not uncommon for employers, colleagues, or even potential partners to search for our online presence before making decisions about us.
Unfortunately, past social media posts that were not well thought out can come back to haunt us and damage our online reputation. A single negative post, fake news, and even rumors can spread like wildfire, potentially ruining our social standing.
Our online reputation is the sum of all the information available about us online, including our name, contact information, an embarrassing photo, a controversial post, and what others say about us online. It significantly affects how people perceive us, which is essential in how people interact with us on the internet, at work, and in social settings. Therefore, we must be careful about our online activities and ensure they will only contribute to building a positive online image.
We have seen how social media has made it so simple for people to disseminate unfavorable information about people, products, and organizations. Our online presence has become an extension of our real-life identity, making it very important that we maintain a clean internet image and be mindful that there are consequences for not doing so.
Today, when people would like to know more about you, they would do a Google search instead of looking for common acquaintances who can provide information. They will likely interact with you favorably if they find nothing but positive information. On the other hand, they may avoid interacting with you if they see negative comments, inappropriate photos, and posts.
It is essential to understand that what people find when they do a Google search on you can influence how they perceive you as a whole. If you are applying for a job, recruiters are likelier to check on your online persona. If they see suspicious results, they are likely to assume that the applicant with more positive results is the better candidate. Regardless of your qualifications, any negative result would question your trustworthiness and reliability to work for the company.
Cleaning up our online image is not easy, but maintaining a positive online reputation will be worth the effort. As I suggested in my previous column about deleting ourselves from the internet, we can start by searching for our name in various search engines and social media platforms to see what information is publicly available. This way, we could identify any harmful or unwanted content that needs to be removed.
Once unwanted content is identified, we need to take steps to delete them. If you know that an employer or a future date will do a Google search on you, take proactive steps to ensure they don’t see anything negative in your online presence. If someone has posted negative reviews about you somewhere on the internet, you need to find a way to remove those damaging content or put in place measures that show why it is inaccurate. This may involve contacting website administrators, requesting content removal, or deleting your own accounts.
It is essential that we are mindful of what we post online. We have to avoid posting anything that could be judged as offensive, insensitive, and unprofessional. We should think before we post anything because anyone can see what we post online. Most of us are fond of tagging without realizing that it can actually add more problems for us in the future. Experts suggest we turn off automatic tagging on social media platforms to prevent others from tagging us in unwanted posts and photos.
We can limit who can see your posts and personal information by adjusting our privacy settings. But by doing so, we prevent people, like employers, from using our online persona as a way to judge our trustworthiness and reliability.
We can also create a positive image by posting positive content, engaging with others in a positive way, and highlighting our accomplishments and achievements. Engaging with others and participating in positive conversations on the web with others can create a better online image for ourselves. We have to prioritize those who care about our online reputation.
Social media has provided us with tremendous opportunities to connect with others, but we must remember that there are two sides to it. It can help us build a positive personal brand or destroy our social standing. Our public-facing persona has become our digital identity today. Therefore, it is essential that we protect and manage it proactively.