Yes, what you post matters. Now more than ever.

"The Medium is the Message." Marshall McLuhan

This semester, I taught Social Networking (#Comm398x) to undergraduate students at the University of Maryland. On more than one occasion, we stressed the importance of understanding what you post on line, no matter the channel, can have an affect on those following you as an individual and your greater audience.

You truly are not just posting for you... you are posting for the whole world to see, share, retweet, and comment.

On Sunday, Dec. 4, CBS' "60 Minutes" aired an interview with House Speaker Paul Ryan. During the interview, Sen. Ryan stated he doesn't care that President-Elect Donald Trump tweets, including baseless claims of voter fraud. Ryan went on to say that as long as the Republican-controlled Congress produces during Trump's presidency that it is all that will matter "at the end of the day."

“Did we improve people’s lives? Did we solve the problems that the American people need solved? Are we addressing the concerns of people who are tired of being tired? And who cares what he tweeted, you know, on some Thursday night, if we fix this country’s big problems?,” Ryan said.

A sitting senator in the United States Congress said it doesn't matter what the soon-to-be-President of the United States puts out to a world audience on social media. I can cite a few reasons as to why what you post is important because it can influence opinions, trends, and in the case of the recent gunfire/standoff in Washington, DC, incite violent actions.

Over the last year, we have seen a drastic shift in the amount of rhetoric on social networks. Facebook is battling the fake news problem. Twitter has dealt with fake accounts, and even real ones, that will post information from websites that have no journalistic credibility. The Twitter feed of Gen. Michael Flynn, POTUS-Elect's pick for national security advisor, is filled with fake news posts and comments that are, at best, debatable. The general is someone, you would think, you could trust to post facts, not spread false news.

We are in a time when statistics show that an overwhelming amount of people believe what they read on social media sites. A Nieman Journalism Lab study earlier this year showed that 66 percent of Facebook users get their news there. In total, 62 percent of American adults access news on social media, the study found.

Here's what I'm getting at: Don't ever let anyone say that what you are posting to social networks does not matter. It does. The 140 characters on Twitter are powerful. That photo you post on Instagram or the snap on Snapchat is as strong as something that is broadcast over the radio. Think I'm exaggerating? I'm not. Whether you are in public relations, marketing, television, the legal world, or just a small business owner, the minute you log into a social media platform, you are preparing yourself to be seen by millions. Yes.. MILLIONS.

Don't let the follower numbers that you have fool you, either. A single post can go around the world. And, in this time of people gravitating to social networks to get any bit of information that fits their agenda, that one tweet could mean the difference between a simple conversation, or a one that can shape minds and decisions.

We have a great opportunity to influence, for good, how conversations on social networks are driven. See something that is fake or grossly biased? Call it out. Don't rely on one person's feed to be your only source. Do the work and research, analyze, and share.

One simple post matters. You've joined the digital world, whether you like it, or not. Be the best digital resident you can... the future depends on it.