By Katie Winkler
kwinkler@statenews.com
Did last night really happen without an Instagram post? In our generation, probably not.
I’ve learned through the experiences of others to be safe on social media.
A friend of mine worked for a cheerleading camp last summer, where she constantly worked with young girls. Even though her social media page was set on private, somehow her boss stumbled upon her account.
In a meeting at practice, her boss addressed all the coaches about inappropriate interactions on social media, then my friend was confronted. If a superior goes through this much trouble for a part-time summer job, just think about what measures a CEO would take to research his or her future employees.
When you finally graduate from college and apply for your first grown-up job, those photos might come back to haunt you. While the witty tweets may get a lot of likes among your friends and retweets from the popular @msupartystories, it may backfire when a future employer looks up your accounts. They could grill you about it in your interview or choose another candidate for the job.
Students might not think about the long-term effect of inappropriate posts on social media.
It might seem harmless, such as posting a photo after a rager at your fraternity house. But the photo with a red solo cup in your hand and the beer pong table in the background may be better off kept to yourself. Students who willingly post photos featuring drugs or underage drinking are documenting their illegal actions.
Pro tip: set the beer down before the photo is snapped.
With the world of technology continuously advancing, it’s no suprise that new media poses a threat to its users. Until the medium has existed for a while, it’s hard for users — including students — to realize its lasting effects.
Since the beginning of the school year, Yik Yak has emerged to cause some problems on our campus. It appears that Yik Yak posts are anonymous, but site administrators and law enforcement can and will track you if it comes to extreme cases.
Just last week, a link shared on Yik Yak by an individual in the East Lansing showed an explicit video possibly featuring a male from the fraternity Pi Kappa Alpha.
Last Thursday, a former freshman Spartan pleaded guilty to an act of terrorism for posting a shooting threat on Yik Yak. No matter if he planned to follow through with it or if he was just joking, severe consequences followed.
Be smart, Spartans. And post responsibly.
Katie Winkler is the viral reporter for The State News
