Transparency Is Key: Why You Shouldn't Make Your Social Media Private

Share. Tweet. Update. Snap. Vine. Tumble. Repeat. It's a vicious and endless cycle this generation has fallen into.

We're a generation possessed, but we're also just as afraid to be open with our online presences.

Our social media accounts are not something we do just for fun; they're synonymous with our generation and our identity.

We are easily recognizable based off what we post. We are one in the same, and there is no more black and white, no more separation between the two.

Like many of my peers, I once believed in putting my social media accounts on private.

In high school, we all changed our names to avoid admission counselors finding all the stupid things we posted and shared, thinking that would make us worse off than the next applicant.

In college, we continued this trend when we competed with one another for internships, on-campus positions and other things that mattered.

Coming into the real world, I still see many of my friends with "first name, middle name" social media accounts, to make it just a step harder for potential employers to find out that you love slapping the bag or making walks of shame.

I'm just as guilty of trying to cover up who I was during my collegiate career and that's fine, but it also meant I wasn't being honest about who I really was.

What I realized was that if what I was posting on social media was that terrible and could negatively affect what people thought about me, I probably shouldn't be posting it at all.

Now, in my mid-20s, I still see my peers with their accounts on private, and I think, "What are you hiding?"

As a people, we should be transparent because anything less than that means we're not genuine beings.

How many times in job interviews do you get asked about your biggest accomplishments or your strongest traits? T

he list is endless, but my go-to answer is honesty.

Having a job means someone else entrusts you with a responsibility to conduct business and that trust is built based on the premise of being honest.

Sure, there are many dishonest human beings in the professional world, but they're also playing with karma.

Everyone gets theirs eventually, so why risk bad karma by being sneaky?

I know everyone's circumstances are different and we should all protect ourselves, but if you're at risk for exposing yourself to certain dangers, social media is not for you, my friend.

What I can't fathom in 2015 is how a show like "Catfish" can still be believable, and how there are so many gullible young people.

Yes, it's scary that people take things to the extreme by building relationships online with complete strangers, often just to get close to someone, but how dumb do you have to be to not ask for a face-to-face conversation, even if just digitally?

Social media has made it so easy to create a narrative of who you are online, and often, it's not an accurate portrayal of the real person.

For starters, unless you're planning to run for office one day, there is no need for "privacy" on your social media accounts.

Are you that afraid someone will see that you went to Sunday brunch and didn't invite so and so?

Afraid you're going to be shunned for dropping a wad of cash you claim you don't have on something super fancy and expensive? That's your prerogative to do so.

We've become a generation that has become so liberal with expressing who we are as a people, mainly our sexuality, yet we can't even share the most mundane aspects of our life with others.

Sure some people enjoy their privacy, and I'm all for that, but at the same time, if you join a "social" network, isn't the whole point to be "social" and share not just with friends, but with strangers and peers who share similar interests as you?

Generation-Y has taken two very long, progressive steps forward, and one giant leap back.

Transparency is key in growing, in building friendships, relationships both personal and professional, and if you're putting up a cyber wall to block people from getting in, you're really only hurting yourself.

At the end of the day, an individual decides what "gates" he or she wants open to the public.

If he or she wants to pull back the curtain, like in "The Wizard of Oz," and reveal him or herself, I'm all for it. Just be honest.

Life is too short to be worried about others' opinions, others' thoughts and others' negative energy.

We are all on this earth for a purpose, so let's remember that and share it, not keep it on private and make me request it to find out.