Tracy Discusses Life in the Digital Age with Upper School

On Thursday, Jan. 23, Ben Tracy of Renegade Media Strategies joined our Upper School students during Community Forum to discuss Navigating Life in the Digital Age. 

“Seventy percent of all employers look at social media and online presence, and thirty-five percent of all college counselors look at social media as well,” Tracy stated, emphasizing the importance of what is put out on the web. 

He advised that students treat social media profiles as an “online resume” where positive connections can be made, and that advocacy for groups and movements important to them can be wonderful when presented in the right manner. 

Tracy learned first-hand the impacts of a prior negative social media presence when his tweets from 2012 surfaced as he landed a high-profile job. 

“On Friday I interviewed, Sunday I was hired, Monday I started, and five hours later I was fired,” he said. 

Tracy also discussed the impact of social media on mental health, and the importance of reporting cyber bullying, threats, and inappropriate content to the authorities.

After his presentation, students asked about the best process in which to report a cyber bully, if politically charged comments are ok to post, how different forms of “disappearing” media actually work, and if he could provide more data on how social media impacted mental health. 

“Ben was incredibly effective in demonstrating the power of social media,” said Sophie Speidel, Upper School counselor.

“He showed our students how easy it was for him to find their social media tweets and comments, and he shared his own story of losing a very high-profile job due to tweets he made in high school. He shared the current research connecting mental health and social media use, and gave them practical tips on creating their best online presence as well as using social media for good.” 

Following the Community Forum, Tracy visited the Grade 9 Life Skills and gave an evening presentation to parents.

For more information on Ben Tracy and Renegade Media Strategies visit www.renegademediastrategies.com