DON’T VIOLATE YOUR OWN “MIRANDA RIGHTS” ONLINE

SOCIAL NETWORK RESPONSIBLY

We warn people:

“Anything you say can be used against you.”

MMMMM?

Then we open social media…

and voluntarily tell the world:

Where we went.
What we own.
Who we know.
What we think.
When we’re leaving town.

Maybe the first person we need to protect ourselves from…

is sometimes ourselves.

DON’T VIOLATE YOUR OWN “MIRANDA RIGHTS” ONLINE

SOCIAL NETWORK RESPONSIBLY

The Miranda warning is associated with protecting a person’s constitutional rights during custodial police interrogation.

But I want to borrow the IDEA behind those familiar words for something completely different:

SOCIAL MEDIA.

“Anything you say can and may be used…”

MMMMM?

Now think about what people voluntarily put online.

Where they went.

What they bought.

Where they work.

Who they associate with.

When they are traveling.

When their house is empty.

Their arguments.

Their relationships.

Their money problems.

Their opinions.

Their celebrations.

Sometimes…

their entire lives.

We used to call some of this:

PRIVATE.

Now we call it:

POST.

PUBLIC BY YOUR OWN HAND

Social media can be tremendous.

It allows us to communicate.

Promote businesses.

Share ideas.

Reconnect with people.

Teach.

Learn.

Laugh.

Encourage.

Build communities.

There is plenty of good in it.

But something important changed when ordinary people became their own publishers.

YOU became the writer.

YOU became the photographer.

YOU became the editor.

YOU became the broadcaster.

And sometimes…

YOU became the person placing information into the permanent public conversation about yourself.

That’s worth remembering.

WORTHY NOTE

Before the internet, someone might have needed to ASK you something.

Now…

we sometimes answer questions nobody asked.

A DIGITAL DIARY

Years ago, a diary might have been hidden inside a drawer.

Today people voluntarily create enormous electronic diaries.

Photos.

Videos.

Locations.

Comments.

Dates.

Opinions.

Friends.

Employment.

Purchases.

Vacations.

Arguments.

Family events.

And once something is copied, screenshotted, shared or archived somewhere else…

control becomes much more difficult.

The internet has an excellent memory.

Maybe better than ours.

THE RICHIE REVERSE

Suppose a complete stranger walked up to you and asked:

Where do you live?

When will you be out of town?

What expensive things do you own?

Where do your children go?

Who are you fighting with?

How much money are you making?

What are your weaknesses?

Would you answer all of that?

Probably not.

Now reverse it.

How much of the same information have we voluntarily made available through years of posts?

MMMMM?

Worth checking.

EMPLOYMENT

Employers and professional contacts may encounter what you publish publicly.

That doesn’t mean you have to become artificial.

It does mean…

YOUR PUBLIC CHARACTER CAN TRAVEL AHEAD OF YOU.

Imagine applying for a position while an old post is introducing you before you arrive.

Fair?

Unfair?

That’s another discussion.

But if something is public…

someone may see it.

So ask:

Does my public presence represent the person I want introducing me?

MONEY & BUSINESS

Business owners should especially think about this.

Your online words can affect:

Reputation.

Trust.

Customers.

Professional relationships.

Negotiations.

Opportunities.

Sometimes people publish information emotionally…

and have to conduct business rationally the next morning.

Those two worlds can meet.

Think before pressing:

POST.

LEGAL DISPUTES

This one deserves some maturity.

If you are involved in a disagreement, lawsuit, investigation or other legal matter, publicly discussing details may create complications.

A casual online statement may later become relevant to somebody examining what happened.

That doesn’t mean becoming fearful.

It means realizing that public communication can have consequences beyond the moment in which you typed it.

When something is legally important…

a private conversation with the appropriate professional is usually wiser than a public argument with the internet.

THE TAX MAN?

I would update my original wording here.

Government agencies, creditors, investigators and other organizations may sometimes use publicly available information when it is relevant and lawful for them to do so.

The larger lesson doesn’t depend on WHO may be looking.

It is much simpler:

PUBLIC INFORMATION…

CAN BE SEEN BY THE PUBLIC.

Don’t publish something assuming the only people reading it are your friends.

THE EMPTY HOUSE ANNOUNCEMENT

Here’s another common example.

“We’re leaving tomorrow for two wonderful weeks in Hawaii!”

Beautiful.

Wonderful.

Have fun.

But perhaps the entire world doesn’t need a real-time announcement that your home may be unattended.

Maybe post the vacation photographs…

AFTER you return.

You still get to share the trip.

But you don’t need to turn your absence into an announcement.

WORTHY NOTE

Privacy isn’t paranoia.

Sometimes…

it’s simply good housekeeping.

EMOTIONS LOVE THE POST BUTTON

Anger and social media make an interesting couple.

Something happens.

We become upset.

And instead of cooling down…

we publish.

Then we feel better for five minutes.

Unfortunately…

the post can live much longer than the emotion that created it.

I have another Pearl for this:

ANGER IS NOT GOOD ENERGY.

It applies online too.

If you’re furious…

WAIT.

Draft it.

Don’t post it.

Come back later.

The internet does not require your immediate emotional reaction.

MMMMM?

Neither does everybody else.

VANITY CAN OVERSHARE

Another temptation is wanting to be noticed.

Look what I bought.

Look where I’m going.

Look who I’m with.

Look what I’m doing.

Look what I have.

There is nothing wrong with sharing joy.

But don’t allow the desire for attention to eliminate good judgment.

You do not owe the internet access to every room in your life.

Some things become more valuable…

because they remain yours.

CHECK YOUR DIGITAL HOUSE

Every once in a while…

inspect your own online presence.

Search your name.

Review old profiles.

Look at public photographs.

Check privacy settings.

Delete or restrict things you no longer want presenting you.

Ask yourself:

Does this still represent me?

Would I be comfortable with:

A future employer?

A customer?

My children?

My grandchildren?

A stranger?

Seeing it?

If not…

do some housekeeping.

WHAT ABOUT PEARLS FOR THE SOUL?

There is another side to this.

The internet can preserve GOOD things too.

Wisdom.

Encouragement.

Memories.

Stories.

Lessons.

Love.

A word that helps somebody years after you wrote it.

That’s one reason I continue sharing Pearls.

The permanence of the internet isn’t automatically an enemy.

It depends upon…

WHAT YOU FEED IT.

FINAL THOUGHT

Don’t become afraid of social media.

USE IT.

Enjoy it.

Share.

Connect.

Build.

Teach.

Laugh.

Promote.

Encourage.

But remember:

You are creating a public trail with your own hands.

Don’t give away information today…

that tomorrow’s wiser version of you wishes had remained private.

Before you press POST…

ask one simple question:

DO I WANT THIS REPRESENTING ME AFTER THIS MOMENT IS GONE?

If yes…

POST AWAY.

If not…

you just protected yourself…

from yourself.

— Richie
Pearls for the Soul
when you feed the soul, you feed everything.
https://pearlsforthesoul.com