I have an easy solution to that, personally: I don't share my deepest darkest secrets on social networking sites.
I can't imagine anything I've posted to Facebook being a problem if it was all printed in tomorrow's New York Times. Maybe other people should take the same approach.
Let's hope other people don't post them for you. At least when email was the main social network, the effects of indiscreet friends and acquaintances didn't usually appear on Google.
This. You can choose not to have a profile on Facebook, but you can't choose to live in a world where Facebook doesn't exist.
I was an FB refuser for the longest time but would still get friends telling me about photos they saw of me on there. Those photos might be 100% public and I would have no control.
We're all affected, unless we literally have zero friends, friends of friends, colleagues or family members who use Facebook — good luck with that.
It's not exactly your "deepest, darkest secrets" you need to be worried about. Do you really want your boss to know your interests? Do you really want your ex-girlfriend to know if you've moved somewhere nearby? Etc.
I can't imagine anything I've posted to Facebook being a problem if it was all printed in tomorrow's New York Times. Maybe other people should take the same approach.