TIB that facebook controls perception

Scariest adventure of my life: formal recruitment before my first semester in college. I would rather sit in a pit of snakes or cliff jump before I put myself through something like formal recruitment again. Now granted, I did make it through alive, barely, and I have joined a sorority, but I didn't realize that when I joined literally every aspect of my social media would be tracked and stalked to ensure that I am representing my sorority well. As my older sisters love to point out: I am always wearing my letters. 

In my sorority, because it is so old and based on traditions, there are many rules about what can and can not go up on my Facebook or any other aspect of social media. I am more aware now than I ever have been of what my Facebook says about me and I am a firm believer that social media, especially Facebook, controls how I am perceived. Facebook is now my first impression. 

            I “creep” on myself often, to ensure that my pictures, posts, and likes all reflect how I want to be perceived. I now think every time before I tweet or upload a photo: “will I be asked to discipline for this?” The rules are there for a reason, I don’t want the opinion first created of me or my sorority to be one of  partiers. I want my own Facebook and my sisters’ Facebooks to reflect our most appealing and respectable attributes. This is why my Facebook consists of photos of me going to church with my grandparents, fundraising with my sisters, or having fun at prom, but not after prom.

Coming out of high school I had a teacher that stressed the importance of keeping our social media clean, and I never put too much stock into what he was saying until after I joined Phi Mu. Now being on the other end of recruiting girls to join our sisterhood I see how often social media comes into play. To ensure we are getting good girls that won’t embarrass the sorority with bad language, attitude or party antics we often check their Facebooks and twitters.

I now know that no matter how terrible of a day I’m having tweeting just the F bomb will not reflect very well upon me, nor will those solo cup pictures that made you cool high school, or the skirts that are just short enough that when you sit down your undies peek out. People do look, and as funny as it was when the picture was taken it never should have been put on Facebook for your friends, family, future employers and even strangers to see. An opinion is made about you, and no matter how good of a person you really could be, all others see is that one drunken night you can’t defend because it has been posted for others to look at when you’re not around. Facebook is your first impression: don’t blow it.