Nicolas Marin
ENGL 400
Professor Green
July 12, 2018
Online Identity Reflection
My social media identity started in high school when I created a Facebook account. When using social media I keep in mind whatever I post because of a lesson told to me by my father, anything posted online will stay there forever. Keeping this in mind I am very mindful of what I post on my social media sites. I currently use Facebook and LinkedIn as my main social media outlet, although I do have accounts on Twitter and Instagram these accounts are rarely used and only have a few post on each. I portray a professional tone on both of my main social media sites because as a college student entering the business field, maintaining a professional identity on social media is essential to future prospects. Social media isn’t the center of my life and I don’t partake in its use all the time, so whenever I post something on my page I am very mindful of who will see it and how they will react to it. My social media accounts wouldn’t be an accurate representation of myself since I portray an informal personality and tone to my friends and peers.
Looking into my Facebook is essential to understanding how I act on social media. As said earlier I am very selective with how I portray myself on social media since I am mindful of who will be viewing it. At first glance, the first thing that would appear on Facebook is my profile picture and the cover photo behind it. These two images can sum up how an entire person’s page can appear and to employers could be the deciding factor between being hired or being passed up. This is how I have set up my profile, based on this I give my Facebook page is set up in a professional way to appeal to a professional crowd. Since I am in the job market, this is how I have set up most of my social media accounts. I chose this picture for the sole purpose of appearing attractive to recruiters. In general, I do not post many things on my page other than occasionally updating the profile picture or linking a video I liked. Looking at the intro on my page I have listed my current and previous job titles. I put these here so that it would correspond better with my resume so no discrepancies would be viewed between where I’ve worked and when. I make sure to regularly update this to keep the information accurate to my professional work life. In general the only posts anyone could view on my page are post of me being mentioned on other people’s pages. My Facebook page would likely best describe my professional and academic identity better than anything since for me that is exactly what I use it for. I doesn’t however describe me in reality, I do many activities and hang out with friends but I have yet to ever post anything about it on any of my social media outlets. In reality, I keep those experiences to myself because I don’t feel the need to share my life online. (Nicolas Marin, Facebook).
The other social media giant that I use regularly is LinkedIn. This site is used for business connections and job searching that I use regularly to reach connections for future job ventures. I currently work as an internal audit intern and I keep connections with the many county officials I meet there as to hopefully help obtain a job after college. Keeping a professional appearance on LinkedIn is absolutely essential in obtaining interview for various internships around the Richmond Area. In keeping with my professional and academic identity online, my profile picture on LinkedIn is the same as the profile picture on my Facebook Page. I also have my resume word for word on my page as to accurately depict my work and educational history for any employers. My LinkedIn page is a poor representation of my real personality. In reality I am a very informal person, but an informal LinkedIn profile doesn’t help anyone (Nicolas Marin, LinkedIn).
To sum up my identity on social media, my social media outlets do not represent me at all. I do not partake in the social media craze that sweeps the modern world. I view social media as a tool and nothing more. I have used this tool to obtain job interviews and positions, I don’t feel the need for it to do anything more. If someone wants to know my real personality the best way to do that is in person, because looking through my social media outlets would only give them the false professional identity that I have created online.
Bibliography
https://www.facebook.com/nicolas.marin.773981
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolas-marin-bab501150/