El Dorado Middle and High School students attended a Think Before You Post assembly on May 2. Presenter Chet Kuplen spoke to students about the importance of how they present themselves, both in person and online in an increasingly digital world.
Kuplen founded Sports in Kansas about 11 years ago and launched Think Before You Post about four years ago. He has over 400,000 followers, spends 20 hours each week speaking on sports radio shows, and has traveled to over 600 locations to present Think Before You Post. Because there are constantly eyes and ears on him, he feels an even more urgent need to be cognizant of his words, actions, likes, and shares.
“We have to be very careful about what we put out there because it follows us the rest of our lives,” Kuplen told students. “Have opinions, stand up for what you believe in, but be careful about where and how you present it.”
One of the first places potential employers check is social media. Kuplen shared stories of how inappropriate content, long forgotten by the teenager who posted it, cost them scholarship or employment opportunities when they were older.
As a demonstration on how connected everyone truly is in the digital world, Kuplen asked a student to come to the stage. He asked students in the audience to stand up if they had that student’s cell phone number or followed them on social media. Several students stood. He then asked that anyone who had those additional students’ cell phone number or followed them on social media also stand. Nearly all of the students were standing.
Anything that we send to one person has the potential to be seen by nearly everyone in minutes. Kuplen shared the story of a young woman who sent photos to her boyfriend in high school. When she broke up with him, he created an Instagram account with her name and those photos, which prevented her from getting a job after she graduated from college. She did not even know that account existed until then. Once we put something out there, even to just one person, it has the potential to affect us down the road.
Social media is a powerful tool. It can wreak havoc or do great things; the difference is in how you choose to use it. He encouraged students to use it to better themselves, not hinder future opportunities.
With everyone having a camera at the ready these days, anything you say or do can become a viral social media post in a moment. It is important to be on your best behavior because if you lose your temper or make a crude remark, anyone could capture and post it. Then it is your reputation, and potentially job, on the line.
Kuplen said that branding is how you are recognized. He reminded students that they represent more than just themselves. There are younger children that look up to older ones as role models. Employees represent their employers, whether on the clock or off. He reminded students that first impressions are a big deal and that having soft skills such as making eye contact and having a firm handshake make a difference. Those are things that having a phone in your hand can negatively impact.
“You rely on your phone for everything, but it isn’t everything,” Kuplen said. “We are losing track of what is going on right in front of our face, and losing a lot of opportunities because we are so addicted to our phone.”
Kuplen warned students not to lose track of each other by being on their devices 24/7. He told them they never know who they will meet in life, that their next opportunity could be sitting next to them at any given moment. He stressed the importance of being kind, both in person and online.
Reputations are not the only concern on social media. Common issues include hacking, addiction, distractions, frauds or scams, security issues, depression or mental health issues, cyber bullying, relationship issues, negative criticism, time consuming, or even having too much information. It is important to be careful about where you get information because not everything online is true.
Kuplen shared stories to demonstrate the importance of being vigilant, not adding random people, and not sharing personal information because of how easy it can be for people to extort others or commit fraud in an online environment. He told students that even deleted information can be recovered and that digital ads are targeted based on your internet searches and browsing history. Your digital footprint is every bit as important as your physical words and actions.
Communication is a vital part of life and everyone communicates in different ways. As technology has evolved, the ways people prefer to receive communication seems to have become shorter and less personal, morphing from writing, to calls, to emails, then text messages.
Regardless of the type of communication used, follow up can mean the difference between being offered an opportunity or not. Kuplen told students a story about someone who did not have the best resume of all the applicants, but because he made the effort to follow up and personally thank the people who interviewed him, he was offered the job.
To wrap up the presentation, Kuplen encouraged students to apply these lessons, be polite, and make the most of their opportunities.