How Do You Value Your Privacy in Social Media?

Compromising Your Privacy in Social Media

Many people use one form of social media or another in order to keep in touch with family or friends; or to either be informed or to inform others about a variety of topics within the realm of entertainment, news, or any other topic of their choosing. But oftentimes social media is being abused and sometimes causes anxiety to many. Being said, if you don’t want to be stalked and you don’t want someone to invade your privacy — then disconnect.

Why Not Deactivate?

Many people will complain about their exes stalking them on social media sites but that is easily remedied with the click of a button. So why not just deactivate? It’s because they are engaging in the same activity! They are invading someone else’s privacy too! They feel they have an open window to crawl through where they can keep tabs on their current/former partners, friends and family. In most cases this causes confusion, frustration and anxiety because often times the information they are viewing is false. Some individuals will post inaccurate information in order to bring about a reaction from someone specific. It is a very manipulative maneuver and can also create negative karma.

Here are the types of people you’ll find on social media sites. Are you one of them?

This is the person who is changing their profile picture every week or constantly posting photos of themselves in all different poses and there are several reasons for this. They want their connections to compliment them so that they can feel better about themselves or they want to sway a partner who they feel is drifting away from them back in their direction. If there are a number of compliments posted, the attention seeker hopes that the partner or ex partner will reconsider. This behavior is extremely manipulative and very transparent. It’s as if they want their privacy to be invaded.

The Storyteller

The storytellers love to air their dirty laundry. They also show their insecurities when it comes to relationships. They have no problem engaging in lengthy and negative banter for all to see with one or more of their connections. When in an unhealthy love relationship, they are extremely misleading. These individuals, who are very insecure, will consistently post information regarding the relationship—boasting how wonderful their partner is and how lucky they are to be with them. They will present many photos depicting the happy couple. This is their way of keeping others from interfering in the relationship which really means that there is trouble in paradise. If you are truly happy and secure with your partner, you do not need to broadcast your relationship all over these sites.

The Sentinel

This is the individual who very rarely comments or posts and, in fact, may not show any activity for months. In reality, they are watching everyone else all day long, every day of the week. They want to keep abreast of what is happening in the lives of others and hope that their privacy settings don’t prevent them from doing so. The sentinel usually does not have much of a social life or they are just plain nosy.

The Informer

The informer feels the need to keep every one of their social network connections up-to-date on every little thing they are doing at any given moment of the day and night. For example, they will let you know where they are, who they are with and the general mood of the activity. These are usually things no one else has an interest in knowing, such as where they are shopping for new shoes, when they are taking the dog to the vet or if they are waiting in the unemployment line. These are self-centered and very lonely people who simply want someone to care about them. They also become enraged if someone pokes fun at them for these worthless posts.

The Sympathy Junkie

These people will always put out information on the social media sites to provoke others to ask the question, “What’s wrong?” They will usually not get into specifics but will allude to some kind of dysfunction in their daily lives such as complaining about work or simply stating that they are depressed. They are very much like the attention seekers and there is usually a specific person that they want a reaction from. They always play the victim but hardly ever give specifics regarding what their problem is.

Value Your Privacy

Social media sites can be wonderful tools to connect with people from your past and stay connected to your current friends and family. But all too often these sites are used in a negative fashion. There is nothing wrong with sharing photos that are precious to you with those you care about but always exercise caution and remember that there are much better ways of communicating. Keep your intentions in check as well. Ask yourself if you are putting this information out to bring joy to someone or are you trying to push buttons. If you want to put information out there for your connections, try to make it something inspiring and uplifting. Think of posting something that will bring a smile to their faces and brighten their day. Spreading positive energy will bring happiness to you too. Remember that when you put intimate details of your life out there, you can be inviting trouble in.