Go “private” on your mobile device

So you’ve just joined the world of social media. Or, maybe you’ve been here since the beginning. Whether you’re updating your status hourly or just popping in to share a family photo, it’s important to be aware of who can see what you’re posting online.

Every social media platform has a unique set of privacy features. Here’s a walk through of how to edit your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Snapchat privacy settings on an iOS device.

Facebook

  1. Click ‘More’ on the bottom right of your home screen.
  2.  Scroll to the bottom of the screen and click ‘Privacy Shortcuts’ next to the lock icon.
  3. Under ‘Who can see my stuff?’ click ‘Who can see your future posts’.
  4. Choose your audience.

For more Facebook privacy features, select ‘More Settings’. From ‘Timeline and Tagging’, you can choose who can tag you in photos or choose to review posts before they appear on your timeline.
Facebook probably has the most intricate privacy features compared to other social networks. Luckily, they also have a series of videos you can access from a desktop to make it easy to customize your privacy settings if you still need some help


Twitter

  1. Go to your profile by selecting the ‘Me’ icon on the bottom right of the screen.
  2. Click the gear to the right of your profile photo.
  3. Click ‘Settings’.
  4. Click ‘Privacy and safety’.
    1. Drag the slider next to ‘Protect my Tweets’ at the top of the page.
      This means that your tweets will not be shown to anyone unless you approve to let them follow you. The downside to this feature is that your followers will not be able to ‘retweet’ you.

From the ‘Privacy and safety’ page you can also customize other settings such as allowing others to tag you in photos or find you by your email address.


Instagram

  1. Go to your profile in the lower right corner of the screen.
  2. From your profile screen, click on the settings gear in the top right corner.
  3. Under ‘ACCOUNT’, drag the slider to turn on the ‘Private Account’ setting.


Snapchat

  1. Click on the ghost icon on the top center of your camera screen in the application.
  2. Click on the settings gear on the top right corner.
    1. Scroll to the green ‘WHO CAN’ section
      1. WHO CAN… Contact Me
        1. ‘Everyone’- Everyone who can look you up can also send you Snapchats.
        2. ‘My Friends’- Only those you have approved as your friends can send you Snapchats.
      2. WHO CAN… View My Story
        1. ‘Everyone’- Everyone who adds you can view your story.
        2. ‘My Friends’- Only those you have approved as your friends can send you Snapchats.
        3. ‘Custom’ – This feature lets you customize who can view your story by blocking specific people, while keeping them on your friends list.

After updating your privacy settings, you may feel more comfortable and eager to use social media. But beware! Just because you’ve made yourself ‘private’ doesn’t mean you have privacy online. Rule of thumb: Never post anything you wouldn’t show your grandmother.

IMG_0564Guest Blogger: Chloe Wiersma

Chloe is a Public Relations and Communications Intern at TDS. She is studying Communication, Public Relations, and Business Administration at the University of Wisconsin — Stevens Point. When Chloe isn’t searching for the perfect Instagram filter, you can typically find her reading a book next to her Shih Tzu Bichon mix.

Guest blogger for TDS Home.

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