My Relationship with Social Media

The Role Media Plays in My Life

    Growing up, I never had much experience with social media. My mom works in technology control and risk management for a living so she was always very much against me and my sister being on social media. And as mad as I was back then that I wasn't allowed to have any form of social media when everyone else did and I felt so left out, I think really helped me in the long run and has a part to play in how I use social media today. That being said, once I got to high school, my mom trusted me enough to let me make my own instagram account. I remember it being such a big deal back then, she even went as far as making me sign a contract stating a bunch of rules I had to adhere to in order to keep my account. I like to think I am pretty responsible when using social media, as silly as it might be I still follow most of the rules from that contract. As for my digital footprint, I'd say its pretty clean. When you google Alexandra Pallander, you will find records of all of my gymnastics scores, track stats, and volunteer work. 

    We have to be aware that every single thing we put out on social media is now out there forever. Even snapchat, we think we can just send a picture to our friends and once they click out of it it just goes away forever. Well the truth is that it doesn't just disappear from existence, its out there where anyone with the right technology has the ability to access it. The things we post now can come back and haunt us in years to come. There have been so many instances especially as of late that we hear of people being so called "cancelled" because of tweet they posted 10 years ago. Technology is cool and social media can be a great platform but we just all have to be cautious of what we put out there and be aware that our actions now may have consequences later on in life. So don't put anything out there you think you might later regret. 

    The TED talk video about the Cayla doll especially scared me. People online today always joke about how their FBI agent is always listening and watching them through the phone and that video made me think we really shouldn't be joking about it at all. Because the reality is, there are people who are always listening in on us. I makes me think of targeted ads. I've realized for a long time now that if I look something up on my phone or even just talk about it with a friend while my phone is around, the next day I will get a bunch of ads for that exact product. Coincidence, I think not. And big surprise, there's not a whole lot of information out there about it. But even if it is true, I don't know that there's anything we can really do about it. I think it's safe to say just be cautious and mindful about those things.