Social Media Exposure: Private Life is Becoming Public

 Ashley Winston's life was changed after she became a victim of social media exposure. Winston  speaks out about her views on social sites and the impact they can have on a person's everyday life.

Winstonis a college student in Houston, Texas. Videos of her moving her tongue, whichis very long, were leaked on to a black social media site, WorldStarHiphop.com,by an unknown source.

At first, it caused her great distress.  In fact, she does not even want readers or viewers to know her real name. The pseudonym Ashley Winston is used to protect her identity.

 “I think social media is all around bad forour generation because it’s giving the wrong interpretation. Personally, withme, it made it seem like I was doing nasty stuff and not giving a damn, excusemy language, but in all actuality, it looked like that because they made itseem that way,” Winston said .

Although Winston was upset withthe postings at first, she quickly became an internet celebrity, grossing over250,000 views on the video of her per day. This led to contact from many people in high places, and a record for longest female tongue.

"I didn't know what to do at first, but now I've embraced the situation. I still prefer to keep most things private, but there are some things I just can't anymore."

She has been afforded theopportunity to travel to Europe, and to appear on the Tonight Show in LosAngeles, all because of a video that was never meant for anyone to see.

Although the opportunities Winstonis now receiving are limitless, she is well aware of the fact that not everyoneis as lucky as she has been in regards to social media exposure.

“Everyone will not receive thesame opportunities that I received. People really need to be careful about thethings that they do and say on the internet, “ Winston said.

Using social media as a meansof self-expression can also go terribly wrong.

People all over the world -- from celebrities to averagecitizens -- are using social media sites as an outlet; not realizing what they sayor do could have dangerous results.

 Studies show that 45percent of employers use social media websites to screen for new employees, andmore than 50 percent of candidates have provocative or inappropriateinformation or pictures that prospective employers can see if they so choose.

However, this does not stop people from posting thingsbefore they think about the consequences.

Since the debut of MySpace and Facebook in the early 2000s,and more recent sites like Twitter and Tumblr, exercising freedom of speech andaction has become a liberating experience for countless individuals.

The video of Winston, which was originally removed by the new owner due to copyright issues, has recently resurfaced, giving her anotherwave of bitter sweet celebrity. While Winston is extremely grateful for whatshe has received, she sometimes worries that the video may never really goaway.

“You have to be careful what you do,” Winston said. “There’sa possibility that the things you post on these sites could be around forever.”

**Names have been changed to accommodate the person interviewed.***