Social media is great way for a college campus to connect. Large schools like the University of South Carolina can feel a little smaller with sites like Facebook and Twitter. Students are updated on events they can attend or find out what other people on campus are doing. Sitting in class—whether warranted or not—you can see the scope of social media. People are always on their phones or computers checking their accounts.
But despite all of this, social media on a college campus can be a dangerous thing.
More and more Twitter accounts have been created for the purpose of embarrassing students for entertainment. They seem to begin in fun and games, but can turn very upsetting experiences for students. The Gamecock community seems to be taking a page out of the “Gossip Girl” handbook.
One particular Twitter account takes pictures of students on campus who, according to the people running it, are sporting unfashionable clothing. It went as far as taking a picture of a girl in a very short pair of shorts. The picture showed much more than it should have for the girl’s modesty. The girl did choose to wear the outfit, but she did in no way consent to have her picture taken and posted online. Some outfits posted are more modest, but for some reason aren’t considered “cool.” Taking what people choose to wear and tearing it to shreds for enjoyment seems to be crossing the line between fun and cruelty.
Another Twitter account takes pictures of people making out either in Five Points or at parties—@GamecockMakeout. Again, there is a problem with posting these pictures without the consent of the people in them.
Following along the same lines, there is another Twitter account devoted solely to pictures of people who have passed out at parties—@GCock_Passout.
This guy let WaffleHouse get the best of him. #passoutpics pic.twitter.com/u5tluhQve0
— GameCock Passouts (@GCock_Passout) September 11, 2013
There are many examples of sites other than these and it is quite scary how quickly they are created. Taking a picture of someone for the sole purpose of posting it online and making fun of them is very wrong and can be destructive for the school’s community.
Many people would argue that it is only meant to be funny and not hurt anyone, which may be their honest intention. However, most people don’t realize that posting a picture without the subject’s permission can be severely detrimental to their self-esteem and even their reputation on campus. This trend continues to happen and is only growing.
Hopefully, the impact of this situation is realized and sites like this can become a thing of the past.
