Each day on my trek to and from work, I find myself in a strange place between sheer disbelief and utter hilarity. The cause of these divergent emotions is simply the many bumper stickers people place all over their vehicles. Some are funny. Some are political or promote a worthy cause. And some are just plain rude and inappropriate. All are intended to give us a little insight into the driver inside. These bumper stickers scream, “Here’s who I am! Here’s what’s important to me! Pay attention to me!”

As I was reading some particularly interesting ones the other day at a traffic light, it occurred to me that these bumper stickers are sorta Web 1.0. They are the analog form of expression that preceded emoticons, Twitter and Facebook. In a sense, isn’t that some of the promise of Social Media? Friends, and even passing acquaintances, get to know us just a bit better by reading our posts, checking our profile and pictures, seeing what Groups we belong to.

The idea that we want to be noticed, to be counted, to have what is important to us be expressed to many others…is far from new. Social Media has just let us expand that notion exponentially. And, just like I see plenty of bumper stickers that often give me a very negative impression (whether intended or not) of the driver, Social Media through tagged photos, sometimes offensive posts and poorly thought out profiles, can paint an unintended outsider’s view of who we are. It’s probably part of the price for living lives that are no longer anonymous and constantly open to inspection by our friends and others. But it’s worth remembering at times before we hit “Share”.