Scroll, click, tweet, repeat.

Every day many people go through their daily lives with the power of the online world in their hands.

Truth is, not everybody realizes what a single click can do.

On November 2, 2014, a fellow Coyote instantly became famous through Twitter.

The #AlexFromTarget quickly became the number one hashtag for a few days.

To teens, it seems cliché to hear from adults to watch what you post online.

But for older generations, who have lived through the transformation of social media, they see it as some words of advice.

“What we always tell students is that anytime you hit send, you are putting out information that you can’t take back,” said Mr. Mark Mimms, the Heritage High School principal. “That once it’s out there, it’s always going be there. It’s just the question of how someone can find it or how he or she can use that information or how he or she can use that information to learn more about you.”

Although it may seem that the face of social media is made up of students, teachers are also part of this new life.

That’s why Mr. Mimms looks at all aspects when looking for the right teacher.

“The most important job I have as a principal is finding the best qualifying candidate to put in front of the students as a teacher. We hold teachers to a higher standard,” said Mimms.

Since businesses like Durkin’s Pizza uses social media for branding, it’s a key factor for Michael Durkin, owner of Durkin’s Pizza, to follow his employees’ online footprints.

“I check my current employees all the time. Just to see if they are saying anything dumb and to make sure they are protecting their picture and Durkin’s,” Mr. Durkin said.

Sometimes social media can benefit a business, but other times, it can leave a scar.

“There is really not a lot that can be gained from it. In matter of fact, we have been burned by it a couple of times,” said Durkin.

Not only does social media affect the hiring process, but it could also affect your chances of getting into the college of your choice.

“When social media is used, they look for anything that might be inappropriate and therefore not a good representation of the college or university,” stated Ms. Patti Wilson, our lead counselor. “However, they also look for service to others. So we encourage students to add those types of activities to their social media, either pictures or posts that show that the student has participated in his/her community.”

Whether it is meant to impress the college of your dreams, to show off your hard-working business or just an hourly update to your friends, a single click can change everything.