Social Media– Making life easier or more unbearable?

Our View

Smart phones do not necessarily guarantee smart ethics or smart users. Those aren’t in their two-year contracts.

Most students at Cedar Falls High School have access to the Internet, but the number of teenagers who carry it around in their jean pocket everyday is increasing. The ease of getting on Facebook and Twitter leaves teens with a serious problem: how to restrain from posting their every thought on the unforgiving Internet.

Scroll down any student’s home Facebook or Twitter page and there will be enough revolting, hateful, cyberbullying, profanity-filled comments to make your head spin. And what is worse? Students are no longer speaking in generalities. Instead of posting vague statuses, they post comments using school officials’, specific students’ and teachers’ names. So far, they are getting away with it.

What many people do not realize is once you send a text, or command Siri to, your words can never be reeled back in. Even if you think you are just sending your opinions to a trustworthy friend, there is this abused invention called the screenshot. Its use is apparently irresistible. Students take pictures of text conversations and social media comments to make fun of targeted individuals. By posting screenshots to Twitter or Facebook, hundreds of students have access to the posts.

The rule of thumb for messaging is never post something you wouldn’t say to someone’s face. This rule has been violated time and time again by thumbs in our high school, as texts and pictures. They are sent without even a thought of what consequences there are for these actions. Once messages are posted on a public website, anyone can access them, and they can be used out of context. College admission officials and employers can gain access to statuses effortlessly in this digital age.

Obnoxious and rude posts do not only cause harm to the individuals seeking opportunities in the job market, they also hurt other students’ feelings.

Suicides have replaced car crashes as the number one killer. Don’t let the next picture or video you post from your smart phone be the trigger. It’s just not a smart idea.