A digital footprint is a record of a person’s online activity, and it’s becoming more common for companies to perform social media checks before hiring people, Business News Daily reported.

When posting on social media platforms, some students don’t think enough about how it could affect them in the future. Sometimes students post reckless (鲁莽的) content to their social media profiles without considering the potential consequences: They could be creating a damaging digital footprint that may prevent them from getting hired.

Before determining who to hire, 70 percent of companies screen potential applicants and look at their social media, with 18 percent of employees losing their job due to their social media posts, according to a September 2022 study by CareerBuilder, a company that helps employers hire in the United States. “Sometimes some people’s social media tell a lot more about somebody than an interview,” said Rithika Mothukuri, a senior media studies and production major.

A 17-year-old lost out on a job opportunity after the company performed a background check and saw her videos on TikTok, Buzzfeed reported. Many of the videos shared overly personal stories, which was enough to cost her a job.

Therefore, students should ensure a search for their name doesn’t surface inappropriate content because even one unprofessional post could potentially ruin job opportunities. They should perform a digital declutter if there is such content though it may be very challenging to do that. So the most important is to refrain (避免) from posting content that contributes to a negative image in the first place.

“I never had anything controversial or something that could get me fired from a workplace or school or something, but there are many cases of that happening and we should be learning from their mistakes,” said Kieran Mc Carney, a junior social work major.

While having a clean digital is important, it’s also important that students avoid doing anything that can be considered inappropriate in their real life. In this way, even others cannot post inappropriate images or videos of them on social media.

【小题1】What problem is discussed in the second paragraph?

A．Students have too many reckless behaviors in life.

B．Social media platforms could harm students’ future

C．Too much inappropriate content is present on social media.

D．What students post online may damage their images.

【小题2】Why does the author mention that September 2022 study conducted by CareerBuilder?

A．To recommend a way of understanding people.

B．To show interviews have become less important.

C．To show most companies consider social media content.

D．To prove companies are cautious when hiring people.

【小题3】What does the underlined word “declutter” in Para-graph 5 mean?

A．Clear-up.

B．Add-up.

C．Check-in.

D．Take-over.

【小题4】Which of the following statements shows the author’s opinion?

A．Content founded on social media platforms is very reliable.

B．Students should avoid inappropriate behavior in life.

C．Companies shouldn’t care about people’s personal life.

D．Students should stop posting anything on social media.