Is Social Media Worth it?

With the latest Facebook data breach, over a half billion Facebook users from all around the world had their personal information stolen. Hackers were able to obtain data that included the full names, locations, birthdays, phone numbers and email addresses of Facebook users.  Scammers will be able to use this information to send malicious text and email messages to the affected Facebook users or even attempt to steal their identities. It makes us wonder: is having a social media account worth the risk of having our personal information stolen?

The answer to that question is very complex since it depends on what you use social media for. If you are just using social media to keep up with the latest trends and news, there are other websites that you can use to do so. However, if you use social media to keep in touch with family and friends, then the alternatives are nowhere near being as convenient as social media.

Whether or not you decide social media is still worth the risk, there are several things you can do to make it harder for people to get into your information. One thing you can do is to be more mindful of what information you share online since your personal information such as your home address, date of birth, and full name can be used to steal your identity. Another way you can enable two factor authentication on all your social media accounts so that there is an extra layer of security on them. Or you can transition from using public social networks like Facebook to a private social network such as Zapya Go.

On private social networks, your information is only shared to people who you want to share it with rather than being shared on a public forum. That means you are in sole control of who gets to see your information and when they see it. Some private social networks go the extra mile to protect your data by not requiring you to login. For example: on Zapya Go your account is directly linked to your device, which means you do not have to provide them with personal information or link another social media account to create an account.

The way we interact and share with others has changed drastically over the last two decades with the invention of social media. This has made it easy for us to forget that some things should not be shared online. It is important that we all take steps to protect our personal information.