Go easy on caution

The vast majority of us aren't the centre of attention online - it's only a misplaced sense of importance we suffer from. We don't have a blood-thirsty audience waiting to rip us

Most of my professional life, I would be terrified that saying the wrong things on the internet could endanger my career. Oh wait, it wasn't a worry; it was an all-consuming fear.

I would be a rage after entering journalism, I thought. Clearly, I had overestimated my abilities and my popularity as a writer. So, instead of enjoying my cyber life, I tried to fit into the mould of a professional journalist.

In my plan to pursue a career in journalism, I took it for granted that any number of things I said - or did - could endanger my career.

A stupid message on Facebook. Embarrassing photos on Instagram. A rant on Twitter. I never did any of that. I felt I would be shamed, busted.

And why shouldn't I be worried? Many public figures have ended their career, thanks to a stupid mistake on social media.

Besides, everyone was telling me to play it safe - don't write about your political leanings; don't post pictures from wild parties; don't share too much about your personal life.

And, think twice before uploading something.

This is what a friend had to say: "Be careful about what you post. It's best to assume that anything uploaded will be available for everyone in the world to see."

He warned me that when it came to posting stuff online, nothing could be erased and you no longer had control over it.

He isn't the only one to have said so, and I have no doubt that for some people who have a job or family to protect, it's wise advice.

But it does not apply to most of us. Warnings to "be careful what you upload" cause you to doubt yourself. And then you start obsessing about high-profile cases of public shaming.

But, for every such case, there is someone happily posting the pictures from wild parties, with nobody giving a damn.

And they're probably better off for it. The vast majority of us aren't the centre of attention online - it's only a misplaced sense of importance we suffer from. There's a chance that something we say or do could get amplified to our detriment, but we don't have a blood-thirsty audience waiting to rip us.

For those of us who spend a lot of time on the internet, it seems as though the whole world is watching us. Publish a blog post and you feel that everyone you pass on the street has seen it. But hitting "publish" on a blog post doesn't mean everyone is going to read it. Trust me, I have done the maths: with the number of Facebook likes that my column "Net Sherpa" gets, it's literally impossible that everyone in Sector 23, Rohini, knows who I am.

When I moved into this job, they asked me for real-life references, not online ones; when I applied for membership in an online community, I included a link to my Facebook, but I don't think anyone read it.

No one grills me about my views on religion or politics. No one enquires about my cyber escapades.

In my experience, it's OK to take risks online and it's OK to be vulnerable. It doesn't mean that your employers will know all that there is to know about you. If you want to post your awkward pictures, go for it. If you want to leave your job to become a cyber beggar, go ahead.

Trust me, no one's waiting to pounce on you.

ashish.sharma@bsmail.in