You asked: Who is being harmed?
College Students
There are cases where students have been expelled from their college residence hall or university after school administrators found pictures of students to engaging in activities that were against university policies or the law. Photos can be used as evidence in discipline hearing. I am a university administrator and my school has asked us not to look on Facebook for infractions. But if a photo has been brought to an administrator’s attention, the administrator has an ethical and legal duty to act. If someone has provided an administrator a photo they found on a website of a student engaged in risky behavior—like binge drinking, the administrator is advised to act upon the information by some form of intervention. If not, the school may be sued for negligence if the student is eventually injured by continuing the behavior. If a student is expelled, no refund is given for the time they were in enrolled in the school. Some universities cost as high as $40,000 a year and many students accummulate a hefty student loan debt just to attend college.
If a student has an underage drinking violation while in college it can stay on his academic record. Underage drinking convictions or violations can bar a student from entering law or med school and can prevent them from studying abroad.
Potential College Students
I do not know if admission officers look at Facebook or MySpace for more information about potential students. Based on Mary’s presentation on the show, I would have doubts that a college admission officer would view Mary a potential prospect for their future Freshman class. She may be a bright student with a high GPA and SAT score. She have excellent references. If a school knows that a student is engaging in binge underage drinking in high school, then that student becomes a liability to the campus community. Campus administrators, police, and residence hall advisors are constantly battling the binge drinking culture on campus. Colleges can manage the problem by refusing to admit students who already have a troubled history with alcohol. Admissions officers may or may not look at these websites, but I would advise high school students not to risk their college careers for the thrill of posting a photo on the internet.
Colleges and Universities
At one university athletes posted pictures of the team on Facebook engaged in hazing activities. The incident made national news and created a public relations nightmare for the school. When the school’s reputation is damaged, alumni donations and endowments to the school decline. With less money, funds are not available for scholarships, academic programs and research. The publicity surrounding the scandal impacted the team and individual players. Player who were not involved in the hazing were personally demorallized and depressed. This is a prime example how posting personal photo can have major consequences.
Read this article.
http://media.www.gwhatchet.com/media/storage/paper332/news/2007/01/29/News/Facebook.Big.Brother.Administrators.Coaches.Keep.Tabs.On.Students.Online.Activit-2682532.shtml
You asked: WHO CARES?
I care as a university administrator who wants to insure all my students have a chance to develop themselves to their highest potential as human beings. I care because I want nothing to hinder their path towards their chosen graduate program, internship, or career. I care because want to teach them about the consequences of their actions so they do not have to learn from their tragic mistakes.
If parents are concerned about their child’s future and want them to thrive in college or in their job positions, they would care too. Most involved parents teach their children that the behavior they present on the internet is open for public display with an audience of millions. Young people need to know that interacting on the web requires a sense of personal and communal responsibilities. If we can teach that lesson now, we can provide them a life where they are judged by their good deeds and hard work, instead of one act of stupidity.
Girls dancing on bars half-naked, passed out on the beach, hugging the porcelain … these are photos posted for all to see on the Web site Facebook, in a group called Thirty Reasons a Girl Should Call it a Night. These shocking and provocative pictures are supposedly submitted by the women in the photos themselves. The women say they love to have fun, and this is a way to bond with other girls just like them. But are there unforeseen consequences to letting the public behold you at your worst? Dr. Phil speaks with women on both sides of this debate. Jasmine is the moderator for the group Thirty Reasons and says, although she’s responsible for taking down questionable photos, she hasn’t found one yet! Amanda and Norma are incensed that women would degrade themselves in this way. Hear from the president of a company who uses Web sites like Facebook and MySpace to weed out potential employees. Could documenting your good time on the Internet become your biggest regret? Then, a teen who loves to drink says criticism of Thirty Reasons just reinforces the double standard of gender inequality. What do Dr. Phil and the teen’s mother think? Plus, a mayor’s sexy photo has her town’s residents outraged. And, meet a substitute teacher who says he was unfairly fired from his job two times for what’s on his MySpace page. Share your thoughts here.
