Social Media do’s & don’ts for students
Social Media do’s & don’ts for students
Yes, we all know that the social media bug has bitten us all and bitten us hard! Every person young or old is looking for an opportunity to quickly share their latest updates and photographs, as soon as possible. But mind you, there are some strict do’s and don’ts one needs to follow while posting things on social media.
Students often associate social media to be a fun place and placing rules and regulations at such a place would be the last thing they would want. But trust us when we say that it is extremely necessary to be responsible on social media. However, if you don’t get the hint then be ready to face the brunt.
Don’t Lie/ Over-exaggerate
Just picture this, you make a sob story about a relative who is extremely unwell and ask for leave from your professor, who makes a long face but then agrees to grant you what you want. You try to look as upset as you can in front of him, and then, immediately head off to this awesome party thrown by a friend and end up putting all the cool snaps on facebook, instagram and a tweet saying – You are having the time of your life! Well, if this is how you manage to bunk classes or skip your tests/ exams, then be prepared to flunk in your upcoming semester exams.
First of all, it is absolutely wrong to lie. However, if are okay with being on Santa’s naughty list this year then make sure that none of the people who matter in your college are there on your friend list because jokes apart you could land in serious trouble if you think you can lie at college and no one would ever know. In the age of social media, everyone usually gets to know everything and you wouldn’t want to end up being in the bad books of college authorities.
Don’t bad mouth your teachers/institute
Never talk trash about your teachers online. It is perfectly fine if you don’t like them but why publicise this over the web. Also, institutions as well as offices these days do a thorough social media check before offering admissions, internships or jobs to students and such an activity which may have been done for fun can definitely take away all your laughter later on in life.
Don’t post objectionable content/photos
Do not use your institution’s computers to post objectionable content on the web. Your login ID and IP can easily be tracked and will land you in trouble. Posting inappropriate photographs of yourself is also a big no-no. Like we mentioned earlier HR professionals do a thorough check of candidates they call for internships and placements and any weird content posted about you or by you on social media is going to raise a red flag on your profile.
Don’t post confidential official information
Avoid posting any sensitive information about your college. Your educational institute may share some insider information with you in good faith, but that does not meant you are allowed to broadcast all the details to the world. The authorities can and will definitely make that announcement if they wish to do so.
Let’s get it straight – do not ever post any confidential information about yourself, such as, your voter ID details, Aadhar card details, college ID, pan card number etc on the web. Danger lurks on social media and you would not want to be at the receiving end of an identity theft.
Don’t post emotional/ negative messages
All of us have said and done things we regret later at different stages in life. So, PLEASE do not post emotional or negative sounding updates or tweets on social media. No one wants to know what problems you are facing and many people would sympathise on your face but ridicule you behind your back. So, stay as far away from doing this to avoid being tagged a drama queen or a pest.
In the end, the best way to monitor and check yourself online is by Googling yourself. You may be bullied by friends that you are a wacko but it is extremely important to know what people come across when they try to find you. After all, what is the harm in making sure that people searching for your name or you in particular find the right stuff and that too right away.
Almost all colleges these days do have a social media interaction policy in place. Please go through it because if you go against any pointer mentioned in it then you can get penalised.
Social media is a powerful tool and our suggestion is that you should not waste it on just engaging in playful banter among friends. While that’s good at times it shouldn’t be all that one associates social media with. Social media gives you the opportunity to break horizons and reach out to a wider audience and if you learn the trick of using it to educate yourself and others on different topics then only would you be able to make good use of this powerful Internet tool.