We live in a world rife with ways to express our thoughts, feelings and daily lunch ventures. Social media is right at our fingertips, ready and waiting to be used and — quite often — abused.

I see it every day: People treat social media as a sounding board for their opinions, whether they are informed on the subject or not. Pictures are shared, plans are made and sites like Twitter and Facebook keep us in the know.

While college is certainly a time to have fun, make mistakes and try new things, it’s also the foundation you’re building for adulthood and the life you’ll have in the “real world.”

With that being said, part of entering adulthood requires one key component: acting like an adult.

It’s simple, right? Take a look through a few social media accounts, though, and your tune might change. I rarely scroll through one of my feeds without wondering whether or not certain friends or peers have a filter, and the immaturity displayed by some astounds me.

I’m not saying I’m a perfect example of social media professionalism — the majority of my tweets focus on my dog or latest musical obsession. I Instagram pictures of my friends and I at the bar, and I like to share my opinions on Facebook.

However, I don’t believe in passive-aggressively using sites like Twitter to express your discontentment or anger toward another person or group. You had terrible service at Taco Bell last night? By all means, tweet at Taco Bell. But if you have an issue with the girl who sits two seats down from you in class, have the decency to talk to her face-to-face instead of tweeting about her.

As products of the digital-native era, many of us have become way too comfortable hiding behind our smartphones and computer screens. If you wouldn’t say it to someone’s face, what makes it OK for you to say it online? If you wouldn’t show your photos to someone while they’re standing right next to you, it’s probably a good idea not to post them on social media.

If you have complaints, take the time to actually contact people who can create change. Being snarky and passive aggressive on social media only reflects poorly on you, and, in the end, change doesn’t happen. It’s a never-ending cycle of disappointment and complaining that makes you look both immature and unprofessional.

Let’s have “real-talk” time for a moment: We’re all adults here. If you don’t have the guts to walk up to someone and have a face-to-face conversation about your concerns, you’re probably not going to make it very far in the professional world. At the very least, pick up the phone and call the person to talk about whatever is bothering you.

Having a personality online is great. But when that personality is easily accessible and available to the rest of the world, including people who don’t know you, it’s only in your best interest to maintain a level of professionalism and maturity.