Sifting through social media

Ever since my roommate burned a copy of a Dispatch CD for me, roadtrips have turned into private, alternative rock concerts that rattle my rearview mirror in its frame.

The other day, I was trying in vain to tune my voice to the lyrics: "Say what you want, say what you mean, question yourself -- are you really what you seem?" I latched onto the existential sense that, at the college age, we are meant to learn to be more transparent and to be comfortable enough to project to others exactly the kinds of people we are.

This movement toward transparency conditions us for comfort. It eases us into social interactions with people we met just a minute ago, with professors from whom we seek extra help and with formidable figures during interviews for internships and jobs.

But when we cross the threshold into the indirect communication of technology, are we getting too comfortable with ourselves?

Dan Petty, a recent Richmond graduate and the social media editor of the Denver Post, strode onto campus last week and into two of my classes. He addressed the benefits and dangers of such social media outlets as Facebook and Twitter.

He left me wondering: How transparent can we really afford to be?

The Facebook pages of my friends and acquaintances alone are splashed with images that range from respectable family gatherings to glimpses of parties, open containers and alcohol-flushed faces. Their pages, pictures and statuses are updated around the clock, alluding to a growing compulsion of self-publication.

This minute-by-minute publishing cycle parallels the way news functions today, with the perpetual process of publishing, updating and republishing, according to Petty.

With Facebook, we are essentially spreading the news of our personal lives to a cyber audience. Luckily, privacy settings help control that audience with limitations on the visibility of photos, posts and tags.

But Petty said: "They protect us only as far as whom you share material with. Anything can escape beyond your intended audience."

He referenced Rep. Anthony Weiner's error earlier this year, when Weiner mistakenly tweeted a lewd photo of himself to the entire Twitter community rather than to his intended audience of one woman. With one slip of his finger, Weiner sent a public tweet rather than a direct message and ruined his reputation.

Petty also warned that once a Facebook user communicates a message or photo to a "friend," that friend has the power to spread that information anywhere. "We have to be accountable now, more than ever, for what we do," Petty said.

Despite the potential dangers to reputation, it is not necessary to avoid transparency to the point of eliminating an online personality. "You should let your voice shine through," Petty said. "But in our current environment, don't be spouting off about your political leanings or something else that might get you in trouble by being too open-book."

Petty said companies such as his news organization scrutinized candidates for positions by searching Google and pulling up social networks. His advice suggested that having an interesting online personality could draw positive attention during such screenings, but that it is important to ensure that you edit your content to promote the best version of yourself.

"If you understand those things," Petty said, "and understand that while social networks are fun, but also tools, you'll find yourself a much more valuable job candidate in any field."

With the awareness that we are being examined by both known and unknown eyes in the far reaches of the cyber community, there is no better time than now to reexamine ourselves and the images we project.

In reality, business people view young people as capable of marketing online tools in social media to build an audience around a type of product, Petty said.

By keeping in touch with Facebook, we keep in touch with ourselves and with the interests of the community we build around us, minute by minute.

So for now, I'll watch my words. And I'll stay in touch with myself and the hope that a company out there somewhere will one day appreciate my obscure quotes and my proclaimed interests in Josh Groban, "American Beauty" and coffee"