How to Protect Yourself on Social Media

photo credit: Vibe Tribe Creative

Social media is arguably the most powerful tool currently circulating in our society. Whether you use it for marketing, networking, business or personal pleasure it’s a part of our daily life. For me, I use it for all of the above – every single day of the year. I spend hours a week ensuring that what I post is aesthetically pleasing to the eye and that my followers gain something by reading the caption / link attached. 

Recently, an incident occurred that I wanted to bring to light in hopes that you will never find yourself in a similar position -- or, if you do, you will know the proper steps to take.  

I was sitting in the middle of a work lunch when I got a Facebook notification from an acquaintance that I hadn’t spoken to in well over a year. Intrigued by what she could possibly have to say, I threw my table manners aside and opened up the message. To my surprise I saw the words “Cosmetic Dentistry” plastered next to my smiling face. I thought to myself “what in the bleep is this?!”

Click link

New web browser opens: Yoursmilebecomesyou.com appears

I see the below.
 

At first I thought HEY! THAT’S ME! and then I thought wait, that’s me…

As I sat there staring at the website like a deer in headlights I didn’t know what question to ask first. How did they get my picture? Where did they get my picture from? Is that legal? Shouldn’t they have asked my permission? Do I call them? Do I call my mom? Do I call anyone? Am I being a baby for feeling completely freaked out that my face is being splattered across a major association’s website without my consent? 

Pause. 

For the record: I have never, ever, had any version of cosmetic dental. This smile of mine is au naturel and I would like to take this moment to thank my parents for blessing me with it.

Once I cooled down I put my business hat back on and broke down the appearance of this matter. Here I am, an author of a blog and face behind a growing brand with a smile to reflect my positive outlook on life. How in the world is it going to look to have a young woman who consistently preaches positive life reminders yet hides the “fact” that she went under the dentist’s drill. 

To be honest, before that moment I had never given serious thought to safety issues when it comes to social media. All of my social media accounts are public: Instagram, Twitter, Snapchat, Facebook, Pinterest – you name it, you can see it. I let my followers into my life on a daily basis. From traveling across country to visiting my boyfriend to candid moments with my best friends. From huge career steps and everything in between-- it’s all there when you type in @MillennialMiss. The thing is, I want it to be there. There as in my social media platforms or the sites I've given permission to use my image and link back. But not to a company that has ripped my picture off my photographer's Pinterest page without acknowledging me as a person, let alone asking for my consent. 

So I did something that I had never done before in my entire life – I called a lawyer. After I brought him up to speed, he hardly batted an eye lash before telling me that using my photo to promote cosmetic dentistry without my permission was against the law. The following day we dove head first into procedural steps to file a lawsuit.

To be crystal clear – this post is not about me standing up for my rights as a person let alone a person with a brand attached to her name but instead I want to take this unfortunate situation and use it as an opportunity to provide some simple tips on how to stay safe on the internet. The truth of the matter is, you never know where your picture may end up. Scary thought, huh?

I know that to the naked ear this all may sound a bit silly, but social media holds a lot of power. It is crucial that we, as women, know how to protect ourselves. 

Combining research with personal experience, I have compiled a list of tips of safety measures to take when using social media:

1. When creating social media accounts make sure to use a password that is stronger than your pets name. Use a password that no one would be able to crack and keep it private! 

2. Provide minimal information about yourself as possible and stay away from publicly listing your address. Always double think when filling out these forms, what wouldn’t you want a complete stranger to know?

3. Even though “check ins” are of the norm, be cautious of when you do so. Tagging your exact location (i.e: where you’re brunching) in real life gives a further glimpse into your whereabouts which, can lead to someone easily following you. Enjoy your time with the ones you’re with and save your posting for afterwards.  

4. If you tend to use a public, work, or friend's computer log out of your social accounts after each use.

In hopes this post served as an eye opener to consistently be mindful of what you post online and that every single one us is entitled to exercise our rights. 

Tag me,
Chels

Chelsea Briche runs the popular blog The Millennial Miss. A platform for young women surviving their twenties with grace and a lot of humility. The platform is Chelsea's "pledge to you, the ones who haven’t quite figured it all out yet. That we, together, will immerse ourselves in every single thing possible; explore, love a lot, love a little, and never touch the ground."

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Is It Time For a Social Media Detox?

photo credit: Silke Labson 

Written by: Karin Eldor

Kanye, Kim, RiRi, and the Biebs have all done it. And now Gigi is the latest celebrity to add to the list. Hot off the heels of the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show and being crowned “Model of the Year,” Gigi Hadid announced she was unplugging from social media for a month, as an empowering move to live her life out of the spotlight and cope with anxiety.

Although we’d love to see NYE pics of Gigi and fam, we’re giving that a “like.” Or more like a “love” plus a string of heart emojis.

It’s enough to make us wonder: is taking a social media hiatus necessary for our well-being too (and not just for those of us with millions of followers)? And what better time to start thinking about this than with a new year in sight?

IS SHARING REALLY CARING?

TBH, there’s a lot to love about social media. There’s the sense of community and sharing that social media offers. It’s an integral part of building and cultivating a business and a brand.  It’s a strong networking tool to connect with others and share recent wins, and it’s a great way to stay on the pulse of trending topics and buzzwords. Besides, where else are you going to see updates of the Evil Kermit meme?

But despite all its strengths, it seems like social media is doing more harm than good. Teen Vogue and several other publications have been reporting about the correlation between social media and mental health -- and the stats aren’t pretty.

In its article about social media and depression, Teen Vogue featured this troubling stat: “In a survey of 1,787 adults between 19 and 32, researchers found that people who used social media the most were ‘significantly’ more likely to be depressed. People who used it the least, on the other hand, were the least likely to be depressed.”

If this isn’t scary AF enough for you, then shoutout to FOMO and negative vibes for making social media seem even less appealing.

Maybe in order to grow professionally and lean in, you need to log off. Here are five reasons to unplug RN:

IT CONSUMES YOU

You know the drill: checking your social media feeds is the first and last thing you do, every day. (Holler if you’re guilty of scrolling Snapchat while in the bathroom. We’re keeping it between us; pinky swear.)

"Maybe in order to grow professionally and lean in, you need to log off."

Tweet this. 

And the worst part is, even when you’re not on social media, a post you saw earlier seeps into your mind, hours later. This is no way to be your most productive self!

We love this quote from life coach Marie Forleo, whose brand of badassery gives us life: “Don’t confuse getting inspired with getting things done. Create before you consume.”

You might claim to be creeping social media for inspiration, but at a certain point, you need to just get off and get shit done.

Pro tip: Start your morning by creating, no matter what this looks like for you. Whether it means gratitude journaling or drafting a pitch, let the sparks fly. Slow your scroll and opt for a more mindful approach to your morning and nighttime routine.

IT CAUSES COMPARISON 

As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to constantly compare yourself to others, which can make it hard to focus. Social media becomes an open forum, begging for people to post their accomplishments, aha moments and big wins. Don’t get sucked in.

Freeing yourself of social media will force you to focus your energy on you—and you alone. It will shift the power from posting to thriving; from growing your social media fan base to growing your talents and expertise. It will create that space you might be craving, so that when you do return to social media, you’ll be looking at it with a refreshed lens.

IT CREATES ANXIETY

After a not-so-sweet ‘16, our Facebook feeds seem to be populated with more hate than love, more #DividedWeStand rather than #StrongerTogether.

Here’s the irony: while social media was intended to bring people together, it can also sever relationships. All it takes is a shady post from someone in your network to give you second thoughts about that person IRL. So even a virtual action can impact a relationship, for better or for worse. And this in itself is exhausting.

If the doom and gloom on Facebook and Twitter become too draining to bear, a social media hiatus might be the solution. While it’s important to stay informed, you can still get your daily news from other sources. The news will find you. Trust. If you’re concerned, sign up to a site like theSkimm or check in to your fave news sites throughout the day (morning, lunch and evening). And bonus: we’ve got you covered with our “Links We Love” every Friday.

IT FEEDS FOMO

If the hate-filled rhetoric and constant clap backs aren’t enough, how about the FOMO-inducing pics of a squad weekend in Palm Springs (giant pool inflatables included)?

It’s natural to fear missing out and in a sadistic way, you might scroll your feeds knowing it creates pangs of sadness and jealousy. Taking a break will free yourself of this guilty pleasure and will eventually help you feel JOMO: the joy of missing out.

IT'S A DISTRACTION

Put simply: social media is a distraction. Can you imagine all the time you would win back from your life if you stopped looking at others’ posts and stopped hitting refresh to see how many new notifications you received?

I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m in the mood to procrastinate, I turn to social media. And as it turns out, it’s my greatest enemy.

"When I’m in the mood to procrastinate, I turn to social media-- it’s my greatest enemy."

Tweet this. 

So maybe it’s time to add a social media detox to your list of other resolutions. It will force you to get to work rather than snapping about it. Be militant and remove the apps from your phone if that helps. And if a month is too drastic, try a week without social media and see how that feels.  

Your future self will thank you.

Karin Eldor is a coffee-addicted copywriter, with a long-time love for all things pop culture, fashion, and tech. Ever since she got her first issues of YM (remember that one?) and Seventeen in the mail, she was hooked on the world of editorial content. After earning her Communications degree, she spent 6 years honing her craft as a Senior Editor for AskMen.com. More recently, Karin enjoyed gramming and strategizing as Social Media Manager at ALDO. Today, she is Chief Content Writer at 818 Agency and a social media consultant. 

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Roundtable Talk: How We Really Feel About Additional Social Platforms

Source: @felixcartal

The addition of Instagram Stories raised a few eyebrows last week, not only because the newest arm of the photo-sharing app looked like a carbon copy (minus the dog filters) of Snapchat, but because it was yet another piece of the social layer cake that has many already feeling stuffed. Thanksgiving style. 

There are now a total of five major social players: Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, and Pinterest. Add in the characters that are brand specific-- YouTube if you're in the beauty space, Vine if you're in comedy, and LinkedIn if you're a business, and your social Rolodex is on constant spin. Update one. Then the next. Tweet this. Pin that. Share. Share. 

SHARE.  

It's OK to be tired and over it and at the same time want to keep up. Making the decision to stay off a social media platform can come back to bite you, especially if you're a brand. And for those whose JOB it is to keep up, the job description is as shaky as a fault line. 

For social directors and bloggers the ever-shifting landscape is not only difficult to navigate, but the addition of new platforms can feel completely overwhelming. For some, the challenge is exciting, keeping them on their toes and at constant warp speed. "If you want to work in social," says Priscilla Castro, Social Director here at Create & Cultivate, "you know what kind of a beast you're going to battle. It's not a secret that new platforms are added or that one day, a platform you worked really hard to build up, could all of the sudden become obsolete. But that's the great thing about this space-- regardless of your background, you learn as you go because it's constantly evolving. It's safe to say that it's quite different from when I started working in it 3 years ago." 

That's not to say it's not disheartening. "There's definitely an 'all that work for what?' feeling to it sometimes, but that's also the challenge and where the exciting part of the job is. How to stay relevant. How to be an early adaptor. How to be social, but for business. It's the new communications major." 

Artist Tania Debono who runs the popular Instagram @thewriting also makes a living as a social media strategist. Tania says that "the influx of content is drowning us all."

"The influx of content is drowning us all."

Tweet this. 

Regarding Instagram Stories she believes, "brands with a strong community on Instagram have been trying to find their ‘voice’ on Snapchat for some time, but with the new update many brands and personal brands that haven’t properly broken into Snapchat will abandon the platform to invest time into Instagram as a whole."

For her, "Snapchat has become an after-thought, I want to share more meaningful content on the fly with my Instagram community only. I’ve noticed a decline in updates from people and brands too, and those in my real life community that didn’t invest time in Snapchat are creating brilliant content through Instagram stories."

So how do you decide what your social strategy should be if it's always changing? Or when and if you can KO a platform? 

Adrianna Adarme who founded the food blog A Cozy Kitchen says, "I haven't explored Instagram Stories a ton but I do think think it can be really beneficial for people who already have a strong following on the platform; it's sort of nice that it's all in one place."

And that's the general current sentiment. It is "nice" that it's all in one place because shifting gears through the apps is exhausting, for both content creators and consumers. Adds Adrianna, "I don't think it's the end of Snapchat though, I think its core audience was and always will be a teen, early twenty-something audience and I believe they'll continue to use it. I'm testing out both to see what works for me but I already miss the dog filter and stuff." Therein lies the rub. We all fall prey to "testing out both," and before we know it, we've added them all.  

It's something that colleges have taken note of as well. Social Media degrees are becoming more popular than ever, teaching students how to engage audiences through creative content and impactful messaging. 

University of Southern California offers a master's program in digital social media from its journalism school. The degree, according to the program's website, "teaches you leadership and management of social media, digital media, and online communities," so that student, "develop expertise in the practice, theory, and strategies that are essential for success in today's business and social landscape."

But what is impactful one semester, might not be the next. The same goes for your social strategy. 

"While a degree in social media is amazing and useful," says Priscilla, "the curriculum you learned in a semester in college will be obsolete by the time you enter your work field. There is no way to 'do' social media 'by-the-book,' because it's always evolving." 

"There is no way to do social media 'by-the-book,' because it's always evolving."

Tweet this. 

"To do it right," she adds, "you have to move with the ebbs and flows of the space and not dismiss new platforms that will change your day one strategy. Just get with it, get your hands dirty, and create amazing content that you know your audience will love."

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