Social Regret

A recent study done by Retrevo on  "Social Media Remorse" and the consequences of questionable online postings found that 32% of people surveyed say they've posted something online they regretted. They also looked at the consequences of those posts; nearly 1/3 of those who regretted their post say it ruined their marriage or relationship with someone or caused problems at home or work.

1/3 of the respondents admitted to having poster's remorse and iPhone users rank slightly higher than other smartphone owners. I guess iPhone users (myself included) have an easier time of posting, and so more of us have poster's remorse. Then there's the question of age, seeing that more respondents under 25 fell victim to their own regretful posts compared to their over-25-year-old counterparts. I guess age and experience helps.  It turns out that today the average age of someone on Facebook is close to 40 (remember it started out as a college project and initially most of those on Facebook were under 25), and has shifted radically over the last 3 years.

Because we live in the age of instant gratification (the digital age) people are encouraged to add new content and share, even when that content does not represent the poster's best judgement. Recent changes in Facebook's privacy policies now enable most anyone to see your blunders, not just those in your social network (who might be a bit more compassionate). However, what if it is not your post that was the blunder, but some of the responses to it that are mortifying?

I have not cleaned up my Facebook site, but I need to. The best strategy I have heard from colleagues is to have a Facebook site for your personal stuff, and another for your business stuff. Do I have social regret?  You bet I do, and I am over 25 to boot!