Oops, I shouldn't have posted that.

 While I love social media for many reasons, not the least of which being the fact that it is my livelihood, it comes with its fair share of dangers as well. After all, a lot's at stake when the things you post stay on the internet forever.

I'm sure we've all had the minor slips from time to time. We've liked an old Instagram post on someone's page, sent a snap to the wrong chat, or noticed a silly typo far too late after commenting. But these are the kinds of things that are happening to us as Average Joe's. As people gain importance and platform, the consequences of online mistakes grow exponentially. We might remember Adam Levine cheating scandal after DMs were shared online, or the viral video of French Olympic Pole Vaulter Anthony Ammirati having an unfortunately intimate run-in with the bar during his run. Social media seems to have a way of blowing events out of proportion and running with a fragment of an idea.

While we all likely have our own ideas on various social media scandals that occur from year to year, the idea makes me wonder what would happen if we were on the other end. It is so simple to laugh, get angry, accuse, or judge others when we have the veil of our averageness to hide behind. But, how would it feel when that typo in the comments is something that the whole world has access to, quickly starts commenting their own opinions are, and creates wild opinions about who you are as a person because of it. Suddenly, you're not just a person who made a mistake—you're uneducated, can't spell, probably going through a hard time at home to be so careless, and secretly hate the person you're commenting under and just trying to get attention through your typo. Even if you came forward with what happened, most have already made up their minds about you with their speculations.

By imagining this scenario, putting myself in the shoes of the one facing public scrutiny, I start to wonder why there is such a large internet culture of shame and judgement. Maybe people think they're untouchable when they lack status or a platform, but this is merely a facade, and a dangerous pattern of thinking.

Not only do mistakes happen on social media, it is also a place used to cover things up. This is an idea I want to take more time discussing today, and for that I look to Taylor Swift to guide our conversation. Now if you've been on Earth in the last year, you might have heard a something or two about Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. This is a relationship that has gotten a ton of media attention over its course, and continues to be a topic of discussion as time goes on.

Taylor Swifts' Era's Tour swept the nation in 2023, and fans were ecstatic. The concert sales broke Ticketmaster, people were lining up for seats and merch, and these concerts arguably pulled their weight in economic contributions. However, reports were also lining up for the environmental toll happening with Swift's flights from location to location. While some of these reports were denied, we cannot know the environmental result of Swift's private jet. 

Facing backlash and scrutiny over her private jet usage, a well timed SEO adjustment made all the difference. Taylor Swift made an appearance with other well-known celebrities at a Chiefs-Jets game. Swift had, at the time, just made public her relationship with Kelce, and people were loving seeing her at a game. Suddenly, when you search "Taylor Swift jet" on Google, you were met with reports from the game, people talking about what it meant that she was seen there, or speculations about their relationship. No longer were you met with staggering reports of Swift's private jet usage, only news that reflected well on the American poster.

Social media is powerful—it can make or break someone's world in a moment. And we as consumers are likely not a part of the group who are affected, but part of the group that determines the effect something has on others. How does your social media usage affect others? Does it build them up, tear them down, make them feel welcome or judged? How can we work, one person at a time, to create a better and more loving environment over social media? I leave it to you.