Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. The list of social media doesn’t stop. If you watch the news, or even just read your daily news from the Internet, you’re probably familiar with seeing things like “follow us at” or hearing “like us on Facebook” from your Internet news source. This is not a new trend, nor should social media be a surprise to anyone who’s up-to- date with technology these days.

The Skyline College Business Division and SparkPoint center presented a two-hour presentation called “My Virtual Self” on March 9, 2012. The presentation strictly focused on the Do’s and Don’ts of social media, as well as how social media can be fun (and dangerous) for active users today.

The event kicked off with guest speaker Marie McIntosh, who is the editorial assistant and social media editor of “The Bay Citizen,” a nonprofit news organization which covers civic and cultural news in the Bay Area. With a full audience at the presentation, McIntosh’s main question for those in attendance was, “What are your expectations and goals for social media use?”

Before McIntosh got any further into her presentation, she first asked the audience if they had a Facebook or a Twitter account.

As the number of hands raised, it looked as if there was a mixed number of those who are currently active on social media, as well as some who are completely in the dark about social media.

There were individuals who didn’t know anything about social media, particularly Twitter. McIntosh went on to explain how “tweeting” works, and how celebrities like the Kardashians are breaking up what Twitter is fundamentally about.

“My thing with the Kardashians or celebrities on social media is that’s where people tend to put their attention,” said McIntosh. “But the reality is that social media, and largely the Internet, is about a lot more than that. There’s content on Twitter that needs
to be seen that isn’t being seen because other people are looking at the Kardashians. And if the Kardashians are the reason why you’re not on Twitter, then just don’t look at them.”

Despite McIntosh’s criticism about some celebrities on Twitter, she went on to explain why it’s important to be fluent in social media. “It’s another way we communicate. If you’re a person who participates in the world, I think it’s an important thing
to be fluent in,” McIntosh said.

“Revolutions happen on Twitter now. It’s a way (social media) that we bring different communities closer together”

According to social media statistics from Businessinsiders.com, over 172 million people visit Facebook every day, while 40 million visit Twitter. LinkedIn receives over 22 million hits everyday while Google Plus receives 20 million.

Anna Pulley, the second
guest speaker who is currently a freelancer at SF Weekly, explained how she once got a job at a company called Mother Jones as
a social media manager just by tweeting at the editor.
”I saw on Twitter that she was moving to New York, so I tweeted her asking if it means her job is opening up, and she said yes, and a month later, she put in a good word and I got the job all through Twitter.”

Pulley also explained how social media can be dangerous and can potentially put you in danger for
a job.

“It’s important to watch what you say or what you do because a potential employer can be looking at you (and) judging you on superficial things”.

Skyline student Elbert Dang, an active Facebook user for the last three years, also recognizes that social media can be potentially dangerous. Despite strictly using Facebook to stay connected to his family and friends, Dang explained how he is always self- conscious with what he posts on his Facebook page.

“Anything you post on Facebook stays on the Internet; that’s the mentality you need to use. Anything you post has back- ups on servers even if you delete it and think it’s gone,” Dang said.

Aside from social media being potentially dangerous, there are still plenty of reasons why you may want to consider using it. A few reason are that it’s free, you can build a sense of belonging through feedback, and your entire network grows when you stay connected to your community.