Keep your private pictures in your pocket!

This blog is not about media use IN organisations, but media use BY organisations. In 2 years approximately 70% of all Dutch organisations will be making use of social media, they will be all over the social networking websites creating work opportunities and screening potential employees.

An article I read online today on AD made me think about something I was told a few weeks earlier: everything people are displaying on their personal profiles creates their internet identity. This identity can work for you or against you… The article I read referred to a chat conversation of Facebook-founder Mark Zuckerberg which took place when he had just established the popular social networking website Facebook. Facebook did not deny the authenticity of the following conversation:

Zuck: Yeah so if you ever need info about anyone at Harvard
Zuck: Just ask.
Zuck: I have over 4,000 emails, pictures, addresses, SNSVriend: What? How'd you manage that one?
Zuck: People just submitted it.
Zuck: I don't know why.
Zuck: They "trust me"
Zuck: Dumb fucks.

This conversation reminded me of my minisurvey* among the university students of Tilburg. The study indicates that the majority (85%) of the respondents reported displaying party pictures and pictures on which they were a bit tipsy on their personal profile. Hence a little more than half of the participant had an open profile with our without protected parts. Logically, the content displayed on these profiles will be accessible for everyone to see including colleagues, your boss or a potential employer. And now, you also have to worry about Zuckerberg.Well, if you cannot trust the founding father of your social networking website in keeping your pictures private… Who can you trust? Keep your private pictures in your pocket!

* The sample size of the survey was too small to report reliable results but I think it definitely indicated an apparition among students use of social media.