Retweet Me, Follow Me, Like Me, Stalk Me

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We have all done it... posted about a family vacation on Facebook, used Twitter to update what we are doing, and even accompanied a picture with duck a face on Snapchat. Social Media continually allows the outside world to have a look inside someone's life. However, with the constant updating of our lives on social media it brings one question to mind: How far is too far?

Increasingly over the years, more cases of people experiencing danger when it comes to being involved with social media have begun to show. When people go online to post about their lives to their friends, they may be inviting more than their intended audience.

Kardashian posts on Snapchat
hours before robbery, Monday, October 3, 2016.
Credit: nydailynews 

Breaking headlines this week was a clear example of the dangers of social media and allowing one's whereabouts to be known at all times. Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint early Monday morning in her hotel in Paris only hours before she posted selfies on Snapchat of her Paris adventures. Kardashian was reportedly held at gunpoint by five masked men who pretended to be police officers to sneak into the hotel. They ended up leaving with a variety of expensive jewels and still have not been identified

To read more about the Kardashian robbery case click here.

credit: nymag.com

While what happened to Kim Kardashian is terrible in itself, it can also raise questions about the dangers of social media given that she was posting her location just hours before. Does her use of Snapchat just a couple of hours before the incident warrant that it was the cause of the robbery. Maybe and maybe not. Until the police conclude their investigation, one can only speculate that social media may have played a factor into the robbery.

While social media should not be labeled as a bad thing, it does come with potential alarming consequences. Should there be a limit to how far we go to display our lives?

Social media will continue to strive for more intrusive ways to connect each other, but that does not mean one cannot protect themselves while still using social media.

Here are some ways to protect yourself when it comes to social media:

1. Do not post about any upcoming extended time you may be away from your house. 
2. Be weary of using apps that can reveal your location in real time (i.e. Snapchat, Facebook Live, Twitter, etc.)
3. Turn off your phone's ability to track your location. Learn how here.

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While the answer cannot be to stay off social media, because it is illogical given the decade we are in. However, one can use the tips above to protect themselves and can take steps to ensure that their use of social media will not put anyone in danger. 

Got some other thoughts on this issue? Leave a comment down below!