Going back to the days of National Lampoon’s Animal House, there has been a perception in the media that college students are irresponsible party animals who don’t think about the long-term consequences of their actions. Increasingly, however, bright and career-minded students are shaking off that stigma and showing the world that they understand the importance of maintaining a solid reputation.

A recent article in the New York Times profiles several students who are taking a proactive role in defining their digital identity and ensuring that their private lives and public lives don’t intersect online.

From the article:

The conventional wisdom suggests that everyone under 30 is comfortable revealing every facet of their lives online, from their favorite pizza to most frequent sexual partners. But many members of the tell-all generation are rethinking what it means to live out loud.

While participation in social networks is still strong, a survey released last month by the University of California, Berkeley, found that more than half the young adults questioned had become more concerned about privacy than they were five years ago — mirroring the number of people their parent’s age or older with that worry.

They are more diligent than older adults, however, in trying to protect themselves. In a new study to be released this month, the Pew Internet Project has found that people in their 20s exert more control over their digital reputations than older adults, more vigorously deleting unwanted posts and limiting information about themselves. “Social networking requires vigilance, not only in what you post, but what your friends post about you,” said Mary Madden, a senior research specialist who oversaw the study by Pew, which examines online behavior. “Now you are responsible for everything.”

One line in the above excerpt really struck me when I read it: “In a new study to be released this month, the Pew Internet Project has found that people in their 20s exert more control over their digital reputations than older adults…”. Could it be that the older generation, which frequently criticizes young adults for revealing too much online, might actually learn something from their Generation Y counterparts?

While college students are disproportionately likely to have something negative online, it’s only because they are disproportionately likely to be on social networking websites in the first place. While Facebook has expanded to include, moms, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, the site got its start with college students. These are the same people who are the first generation in history to have grown up with regular Internet access. If anyone is going to know how to navigate Facebook’s Privacy Settings, it’s them.

The reality is that everyone needs to be proactive about managing their online reputations, whether they are a college student, an executive, or a retiree. The fact that a 20 or 21-year-old is doing so, shouldn’t come as a surprise, but as standard operating procedure for any citizen living in the Internet age.