Don’t Be a Loser: Think Before You Post

If you think Anthony Weiner's problems are just isolated online difficulties that don't happen to regular folks, you should think again. In a recent Retrevo Gadgetology study that looked at how people use the gadgets in their lives, over half the respondents under 25 years old said they regret posting something online. When Retrevo looked back at a similar Gadgetology study from a year ago it doesn't look like online users have learned much, as the number of those with "poster's remorse" has actually revealed a subtle increase.

Click through for results from Retrevo's latest Gadgetology study. 

Over half the respondents under 25 years old said they regret posting something online.

While it is possible for some people to remove or repair problematic postings, for many others, damage control can be more challenging, if not impossible. Over 25% of those who regretted their post say it ruined their marriage or relationship or caused problems at home or work.

“The information people post to sites like Twitter and Facebook can easily go on to have a life of its own,” says Jennifer L. Jacobson, Director of Public Relations and Social Media for Retrevo.com. “You don’t always know who’s following you and just about anyone can take a screenshot of your post, save it, and share it with the world.”

Next time you get the impulse to fire off a photo from your smartphone to your Facebook page you may want to take a deep breath and make sure it's not going to come back to haunt you. The study found that smartphone owners are more than twice as likely to post something they regret, compared to non-smartphone owners.

iPhone owners led the group with 51 percent expressing regret compared to 43 percent of Android owners and 45 percent of BlackBerry owners. Retrevo’s hunch is that smartphones make it too easy to snap a photo at a bar or wild party and send it right on to Twitter or Facebook leaving the poster to wonder the next morning, why they did that the night before. While this can make a humorous Hollywood movie plot, it’s somehow not as funny when it hits closer to home.