It’s impossible to escape the influence of social media. Even for those who don’t participate, it has a measurable impact on our day-to-day lives, from influencers and celebrities to everyday teenagers.

With that omnipresent nature comes potential pitfalls.

Social media is a great tool for meeting new friends, sharing common interests, entertainment, and more, but it’s critical to practice careful stewardship of your online presence and personal “brand.”

That’s the subject of this episode of Realiteen Talks, as host and FranklinCovey Education High School Practice Leader Gary McGuey invited a three-teenager panel of firsthand experts to discuss how they care for their own social brand.

That’s because a person’s “social brand” also extends to the real world and how others interact with them. Everything is intertwined, and people that have never met you can now from an opinion of who you are – or seem to be – simply from digital interactions and content.

In discussing this enormous topic, McGuey and his guests offered several key insights, such as posting about your personal beliefs and convictions, keeping your eye on the wider context of everything you post, and considering how your social brand could affect life choices down the road.