Social Media changed a lot of things. In fact over the last 10 years, social media changed the way most of us do life.
I mean let’s be real, the only reason you know about this blog is because of social media. It can be an amazing tool, or a devastating stumbling block, depending on how you use it.
For this reason and for many years, there were many sceptics about Facebook and Instagram, thinking that it would reveal too much. That it would be an invasion of Privacy. Whereas others steered into the skid. In fact, Statista estimates that there will be 2.77 billion people on Facebook by the time the new year rolls on. And considering that there’s currently 2.64, that’s a big jump.
However, putting the statistics aside. Let’s talk about how it changed surveillance.
Since the birth of Facebook and Instagram (not so much other forms of social media like Twitter and LinkedIn due to the prominence of photos and location services), people have blasted the online world with images, videos and status’ from their life. So as Private Investigators, we chose to use this (social media) to our advantage.
You’d be surprised how many people who are not wanting to be found check in to locations, take photos of where they are and/or update their status on their current location.
Or maybe you wouldn’t. Let’s think about this.
When was the last time you put up a photo on Instagram in which a viewer could easily identify your location?
When was the last time you checked in to a location?
When was the last time you updated your status, revealing where you are?
We do it because it’s the new norm. It’s now a common thing to do, even for people who are wanting to fly under the radar. It’s interesting how much can be found online with a simple Facebook or Instagram search. Social Media changed the way Private Investigators, and even the way that police survey others. Because often we don’t have to look far for evidence or for locations.
Surveillance has changed since social media, because a lot of information is given to us on a silver platter after merely clicking a few buttons.
So, be careful what you post about, because it could be detrimental.
Like we said, it can be a tool for some, and a stumbling block for others. The choice is up to you.