Social Media Haunts You Forever
By Mariana Rosales
This generation of teenagers is enveloped by social media and with that kind of exposure, more personal information has been exposed to the public than any other era. Teenagers put more of their lives out into the world than most people in the older generations are comfortable with. In a click of a button, the whole universe can know what you are doing, who you are with, and where you are. With a little bit more effort, even if your Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram account are private, everything you have ever posted could be revealed in a matter of seconds. Everyone knows what parents always say: Anything you put on the internet stays on the internet even if you delete it. Maybe they are right. Perhaps we should truly watch out what we put out there. Recently, more and more teenagers feel like it’s okay for them to put things on the internet that are considered inappropriate.
As time goes on, more and more people are getting into social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook. Nowhere is safe to post your illegal adventures or crazy weekend escapades. Any adult can type in your name on Google and up pops your Twitter, complete with your daily illegal activities. Even if your account is on private, people that do follow you can save that picture of your unfortunate or fortunate adventure and send it to anyone. That’s how police caught murderer Meliven Colon from New York, according to CNN.com. Colon, “The suspected New York gang member posted public photos on Facebook that showed him flashing gang signs but made private more incriminating posts, including references to past violent crimes and threats against others. Unfortunately for Colon, one of his Facebook friends agreed to give police access to Colon’s “private” information, and on August 10, a federal judge ruled Colon lost all claims to privacy when he shared those details with friends.”
What makes you think that your twitter account is any different? I’m sure you’ve had your parents ask what you were thinking when you posted that status with one measly curse word. Illegal activities and or other stupid things doesn’t make you any different. If you post anything about you doing stupid stuff that is straight proof for you to get in major trouble. And I don’t mean getting kicked out of school for a couple of days, I mean jail time. This stuff is illegal.
People that have done this type of thing are probably thinking something along the lines of “Whatever, I can do what I want, I haven’t been caught yet.” The keyword in there is yet. I’m not telling you I will be the online police and sweep through everyone’s twitter’s everyday for illegal activity, I have a job and other things to do, but that doesn’t change the fact that there are some people that would turn you in without hesitation, especially if you and this person don’t have the best track record.
The point I’m trying to make here is that next time you want to tell the world about your marvelous adventures with your friends or telling everyone how much you hate one of your teachers, make sure to keep it to yourself. You never know who might stumble upon your Facebook profile, Twitter, or Instagram account. Considering that 37% of employers scan social media sites for future, it could keep you from getting your dream job or worse like Colon behind the bars of federal prison.
