For the most part, I only use Facebook, LinkedIn, SnapChat, and Yik Yak regularly. I have very different personas on each of those social networks, and I don’t think that any of them really serves as an accurate/wholisitic representation of my identity.

Facebook: I rarely post Facebook statuses on my page anymore, and most of my Facebook use is as a consumer of other people’s content rather than as a content curator… meaning I spend most of my time on Facebook stalking other people, not crafting my own perfect profile. Since I rarely post statuses, most of the content on my profile is my tagged pictures. And I hate it! I love photos, but I am definitely not one of those people who takes out their camera (or cellphone) at every picture perfect opportunity. Most of the photos on my page are from sorority or fraternity functions where my friends want to take photos and ask me to pose in them. So someone who stalked me on Facebook might think that I spend all my time frat hopping, when in actuality, most of my Friday nights are spent at the movies or in my best friend’s bedroom crafting.

LinkedIn: I joined LinkedIn very reluctantly. Since I’m still in college and don’t have any “real world experience,” I feel really silly crafting a whole profile to display/brag about my short list of internships and part-time jobs. As much as I’ve loved each of my jobs and gained a lot from them, I don’t think my resume is as impressive as someone who’s been in the work force for several years. And a short description of each of my positions can’t even begin to sum up how much I’ve learned from each of my professional experiences. I much prefer chatting with a live person about my experiences rather than letting them read about them/judge them in just a few short words online. Freshmen year, I promised myself that I wouldn’t join LinkedIn until I had something really impressive that I was really proud of to post on my page, and I didn’t think that would occur for several years. However, the company I worked for last summer required me to create a LinkedIn profile, so I joined the site with much chagrin. However, this year when I was on the job hunt for a post-graduation dream job, I found that most of the applications I submitted asked for a link to my LinkedIn page. I was shocked to see how important having a LinkedIN is, even for someone so young and new to the world of employment.

Snapchat:

I’m the most “myself” on Snapchat, whatever that means. It encapsulates more of my day to day life and honest, open personality than any other social media site I’m a part of. Ironically, it’s the site that I spend the least time worrying about my curated image on.

YikYak:

Well, my Yak Karma scores certainly reflects my strong sense of humor and love of sarcastic wit. But that’s about it. Because there’s no username or public profile, it’s hard to say that Yik Yak really represents my identity at all.