Most Americans have at least one social media account and many people would freely admit that they’re addicted to social media. It’s easy to share information online without considering the possible consequences. Here are some things to think about to avoid oversharing.
Don’t Give Criminals Useful Information
Many people post frequent status updates as they go about their day. It may seem harmless, but routinely checking in on social media could allow someone to pinpoint your location, track your movements and stalk you.
Sharing too much information about your children could put them in danger. Photos that you consider cute and innocent could attract the attention of dangerous individuals. Posting information about where you live, where your kids go to school and which extracurricular activities they participate in could enable someone to track them down.
Talking about your vacation on social media while you are traveling lets people know that your home is unoccupied. Even if you trust everyone in your network, one of them could casually mention your trip to someone else and that person could find your address and burglarize your home.
Many people share their home address, phone number and date of birth with everyone in their network. Criminals could use that information to commit identity theft and open fraudulent accounts in your name.
Don’t Share Information That Could Affect Your Personal Life
Content you post online could negatively impact your life in many ways. Information about your personal relationships, photos of you drinking, comments that some would consider offensive and other controversial content could affect your reputation in your community and damage relationships with family and friends. Even if you restrict access to content you post, that offers limited protection. Someone with access could share a post with others without your knowledge and it could come back to bite you.
Posting in anger is particularly dangerous. If you’re upset, take some time to calm down before deciding what to post. If you need to resolve an issue with someone, do it privately.
Social media posts could affect your employment. Complaints about your company or your boss could find their way back to your boss or a member of management and land you in hot water. Negative comments about your current job or unprofessional posts about other aspects of your life could cause a prospective employer to decide not to hire you.
Think Before You Post
Social media can help you stay in touch with people who are important to you, but those platforms also make it easy to share too much. Before you post information, think about whether it could be used against you. Remember that you always have the ability to send someone a private message or to have a conversation face to face or on the phone. Sometimes it’s better to choose one of those options than to post on social media.
