Teens More Vigilant of Their Online Reputations
RSSBy Lauren Barack
Young adults invest more time controlling how they appear online?and how others perceive them?than older Internet users. So says a new report from the Pew Research Center's Internet & American Life Project, which interviewed 2,253 people from 18-years-old and up in the fall of 2009 to find out how they monitor their Internet identity and how data on others influences their opinions of colleagues, friends, and acquaintances.
Pew found that 71 percent of social networking users between the ages of 18 and 29 adjust privacy settings, compared to just 55 percent of those between the ages of 50 and 64-years-old. Madden notes that for young people, who have recently begun building their professional reputations, protecting an online profile can be critical.
Colleges now take to the Net to see how prospective students present themselves over the Web, and firms continue to monitor employees' activity on social networking sites?with some setting policies curtailing their participation. And now there are firms that offer to clean up a user's online reputation.
There are more people using the Internet to search the digital footprint of others?36 percent in 2006 compared to 46 percent today?according to the study. So keeping a lid on what users post about themselves, and monitoring what others are posting about them, is critical.
"Many people often assume that the user is making all the choices about what information is shared on them," says Madden. "But you also have young adults who are much more active about what they're sharing online. So you have to counter-act the effects of that." Madden says
Pew is about to launch a study asking teens about their concerns regarding protecting their online reputation, but believes that results in the current study for young adults can be ascribed to teens as well. For teens, staying vigilant online is not just important to them, but they also understand that it's key to their long-term reputation.
"I think it's important to remember that for young people, and that includes young adults and teenagers, the social motivation to share information among peers is very strong," she says. "And by navigating a lot of social circles, they have to adjust by putting a lot of attention into self presentation."
