Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Social Networking Dangers
Do colleges have the right to look at the social-networking sites of applicants? Why or why not? How careful are you about what you post on Facebook, Myspace or Twitter?
See Wall Street Journal Article below
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122170459104151023.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
42 comments:
I feel that it is ridiculous that certain colleges feel its necessary to examine the social networking sites of applicates. What students do on their own time is their buisness only. Do these colleges feel that students with inappropriate Facebook pages will corrupt the campus? As long as these students are earning proper grades and working with maximum effort, there shouldn't be a concern of what they do on their own time. In my opinion its inmature of these colleges to be judging these students by what they post online. Colleges should judge students by their grades and academics, not by what they post on their Facebook walls.
I believe that colleges do indeed have the right to look at students' online social networking profiles. It is very easy to disguise your true personality on an application, but nothing is going to give a more honest description of a person's personality, interests, and character than a Facebook, Twitter, or Myspace profile. I personally feel I have little to nothing to hide from colleges based off of my smarter life decisions, so very rarely do I feel like I am censoring myself. I actually feel like most of my online social networking profiles would be a good indication of the type of worker and student I am if a college were to ever stumble upon it. However, I understand this does not hold true for most teenagers. Many think they are safe by taking a letter out of their last name, changing their last name to their middle name, or something along those lines. What they don't realize is the name you set up your account with can still be searched and lead someone directly to your profile, even if your name has changed. Even if that were not true, most students have their high school on their profile. This is also a way of leading a college directly to your page. In summary, students should not justify the inappropriate things they post by the notion that they are outsmarting a college, because that is simply inaccurate and ignorant.
I think that colleges do have the right to look at Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter. I think they should because Facebook often reveals certain things about a student that my affect the college if the student was accepted. Sometimes there are people that post pictures and comments that are inappropriate and sometimes offensive. I believe the colleges have the right to look at it but they shouldn’t base their decision off of what the applicant posts. It is important to have an open mind and give the student the benefit of the doubt. I am personally very careful about what I post on Facebook and Twitter.
Colleges should have the power to view students social networking pages. Giving schools this power will allow them to determine who should be accepted into the school and who should be allowed to stay in the school as well. By seeing students pages, colleges can decide whether or not the students are making bad and harmful choices. Would a college rather a 4.0 student that makes bad choices in life or a 4.0 student that makes beneficial choices? That being said, students should be careful on what they post on Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, etc. No college wants the kid that they just gave a scholarship to abuse drugs or get in fights. In a way, the ability for colleges to see students social networking pages makes college acceptance more fair. Not only will the college get to see more of the students personality, but also their good and bad habits. This can compare students and can maybe even narrow down the acceptance process. Seeing a students social networking page can help the school to get to know their students more and can also help the school deal with any conflicts or problems. I would not mind having a college view my social networking page if it meant increasing my chances of getting into a school over a kid who has harmful, bad, and offensive things on their page. Even though it may not be the popular choice, I believe that colleges should have the power to view a students social page if needed or desired.
I do not beleive that college admissions should have the morality and power to look through teenagers facebooks. I feel that it is an invasion of privacy to the highest degree and individuals should not be represented by their facebooks, twitters...etc. Whatever you post online will stay there for ever and something that was posted maybe years and years ago should not be held accountable. I understand that every college wants a postive representative of their brand however, I feel that they should soley base their decisions on the student's application. I feel that these social networks are hurting everyone in the long run when it's suppose to be a fun and useful tool to interact with friends and family memebers. Nowadays many college applicants fear these social networks and are afraid of the college admissions office. I know you shouldn't have anything you wouldn't want your grandma to see but if it is private then colleges shouldn't try so hard to find them. I just feel that it is an invasion of privacy and the persons' career should not be based on what they post on a social network that is only meant for their friends and families, not their future employers.
I agree with colleges looking at kids Social media sites because it gives the colleges an idea of who the kid really is. A kid can be great in the classroom but not have the greatest morals outside the classroom. This is very important part of college. When the article says "No one wants to be on the front page of the newspaper for giving a scholarship to a murderer", this is true. A little extreme but it gets the point across. You never know what kids are doing outside the classroom and this allows an inside look into the potential student. This should be done especially for scholarship students because the university is investing in that kid. Personally I don't feel I have anything to hide or remove from my Facebook or MySpace. If you feel that you do you should begin to question if you warrant a scholarship or to be accepted into a good university. Also if you are attending a school on an athletic scholarship your Facebook should absolutely be checked because I feel you haven’t worked as hard as the kids who got academic scholarships.
Personally, I believe that colleges should have a right to look at student’s online profiles, but how they perceive it shouldn't change the way they look at an applicant. If someone is stupid enough to post pictures of them with beer cans or bottles of vodka in their hands, they should know that there will be consequences. Also if they post pictures of illegal drug use or photos of nudity, or even photos of weapons they should know that those things are considered illegal and will be frowned upon. But also if they post pictures of themselves at a party but no alcoholic beverages are shown, they shouldn't be penalized for that. Students should be allowed to go out and socialize with their friends, you just have to be careful with what you let get onto the internet because colleges and job employers do judge someone based on their online profiles. If would be unfortunate if someone had inappropriate pictures on Facebook and they lose a scholarship to college because of it. Personally I don't post anything on Facebook that could hurt me and if something is posted on my wall that is not accepted, I make sure to delete it immediately. It really just comes down to being smart and not letting inappropriate things surface onto the internet.
Colleges do not have the right to take into account teenagers' social networking sites when considering their application. It is an invasion of personal space and has nothing to do with their intelligence. Realistically a majority of teenagers are going out and partying even though they are underage, but as long as they are not getting into serious trouble then it is okay. It's a matter of balance. Teenagers need to balance academics, extracurricular activities, and their social lives. It is not the end of the world if a teenager takes a picture with a beer in his/her hand. I personally would not post any pictures like that because in today's society it will follow you everywhere, but it's still not a fair to decide on a teenagers acceptance based on that. What if a teenager is tagged in some of their friend’s photos and they didn't have the chance to untag themselves yet? Should that person be penalized for it? Does that make this kid a bad person or unqualified academically? Kids will be kids and the little mistakes they make in high school shouldn't determine their future.
Yes, I do believe that colleges should be able to look at your Facebook. Although, I think that this should only be allowed if the students application shows something negative about them in their application or if the college admissions are debating about letting the student into the school. Student's know that there is a possibly that they could be denied from a college from there Facebook’s so they should be careful about what they post. If one of their friends tags them in an inappropriate picture, they should have the knowledge to untag themselves. Even though, I think colleges are able to look on your Facebook; I think that they should think more about the student’s grades and extra-curricular activities then there posts on Facebook. If you have a good GPA and work hard but you have a bad picture on Facebook the student should not be denied from the school. The only time i think that a college can look at your Facebook is if they are debating about letting the student in. This way if they look at your Facebook and see you’re a good student, it will help you get in.
Be careful what you post on the internet. What you post on any social site could be seen by the college of your dreams and cause them to make an unfortunate decision. There has been a recently a huge debate on whether colleges should have the right to look at applicant's facebooks or myspaces. There are certain reasons that they shouldn't, but there are reasons that it isn't such a terrible idea. I do agree that colleges checking through applicant's personal information could be a invasion of privacy; howver, the applicant did make the decision to put up their personal information and pictures on the internet. They should have knowledge that when things are posted on the internet, your information can be seen by anyone! Other than the privacy reasons, maybe it isn't such a bad idea. Colleges can't always trust what they see on paper. They still barely know anything, but their grades and scores. They don't know much about them. Colleges don't want to accept a student who parties, drinks, or does illegal activities. By looking at their personal profiles and posts, colleges can see if an applicant is mature and behaves properly. It helps them determine if they really want this student at their college if they are a rather selective school. It is all up to that applicant to keep their social profile as clean as possible. It is their decision. I am very careful about what I post on facebook. I will be applying to colleges very soon. In addition, I apply for jobs. Employers and colleges could possibly be looking at my profile. Even though a small percentage of colleges have claimed to do this. I believe that all students and applicants should be aware that colleges are doing this. One thing on your personal profile could cause decision on whether a college says yes or no to you. -Caitlyn Mensch
It is hard to take a definite stand and determine whether one side is right or wrong. In my own opinion, it is ok for a college to look at an applicants social media pages, but to an extent. There should be limitations as to what can be considered and what can be used against or for a student. For starters, photos should be among the top priority, as I am sure they are, due to the fact that it is the only way an admissions counselor can get a sense for who you and what you do when no-one is looking, without having had an interview with the counselor. Second, I feel that the comments and banter that go back and forth between the students and "friends" should not be considered. There is no way to know whether a post on a friends wall, which to the outsider may seem harmful, may be just an old joke between two kids who grew up together. Having said that I guess I do lean towards the side of the colleges having the right to check an applicants profile. Any college should be able to check it, but only things that can actual be "rejectful" worthy should be considered. If there is something that appears to be bad, but the college is unsure, it should not be considered because the college may not know exactly what the story behind the picture or post. I also feel, as an extra limitation, a college should make it clear to a student whether they will, or will not , check an applicants profile. That way a student knows how their profile may affect their chances of getting into a school. If a college is going to look at a students profile, it should be made fair to both student and college.
I beleive that colleges have a right to look at a person facebook profile. A facebook profile can show a lot about a person because it shows their picture and statuses that they post as well as pictures that their friends post. You can pretty much figure out a persons character from just looking at their profile. When people post pictures of themselves getting drunk and doing drugs a at a party, it doesn't look good. People need to take note of what they post and leave a good impression for colleges. When I post on facebook, I make sure that I don't post anything that I wouldn't want colleges to see. When I post I try to leave the best impression I can for colleges and for other people as well.
I think that Colleges and Universities have every right to look at an applicant's social networking pages such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter because they should make sure that a person representing their school sets a good example for their name. I don't think the school should use those online profiles to judge a student 100% because it doesn't ultimately give an accurate analysis of who the person is. If they have a picture holding some sort of alcohol, doesn't mean they get excessively drunk all the time or are crazy and out of control. Colleges and Universities need to understand that your teenage years are the years you can go out and have fun before entering the "real world". I still think they have every right to look at these pages, but I don't agree that they should really judge an applicant based on all the imformation they find. If they see something they are concerned about, they should set up a meeting with the student to get a better feel of their personality and what exactly a picture might be showing. A picture is worth a thousand words. A school may think it is one thing when simply, it could be another. I personally don't have anything to hide on my online pages but I do think some people should reconsider looking at their page. Even if they were to delete things though, all of it is still on the internet so the hole they dug themselves cannot be filled.
In my opinion, colleges do have the right to look at students’ social networking pages. I believe that when a student applies to a college, it’s not just their grades that count, but their character as well. Universities are not only looking for well-rounded students, but well-rounded people also. It is important to select students that will positively affect the environment at a specific university. In some cases, this becomes a safety issue. For example, professors have said to have found pictures of students with guns. If they had admitted this student, it would have become a safety hazard to everyone at that college. Drugs and underage drinking are also issues for teenagers. Realistically, a lot of high school students go to parties and drink underage. However, it is the student’s responsibility to make sure that their business is not on Facebook or Twitter. It is common sense to simply un-tag yourself from photos that you don’t want administrators to see. Although administrators can find information about a student indirectly on social networking sites, students have a certain amount of control over their personal profiles. A university’s perspective on a student is mostly the student’s responsibility.
For me, the first sentence stating, "High-school seniors already fretting about grades and test scores now have another worry: Will their Facebook or MySpace pages count against them in college admissions?" really caught my attention. No, I'm not worried about colleges looking at my online profile, but everyone else? I don't know about them. I feel that comparing the anxiety about grades and test scores, such as the SAT's and ACT's,(some of the most important test for gaining a college's attention), to the worry about what is posted on your profile is just, well, stupid really. It shows not only how technology and the internet has taken over our lives, but also how guilty some students may be. Personally, my facebook profile, consists mostly of pictures of my closest friends. Sure, we might be doing crazy stuff and making stupid faces, but I'm actually proud to says that I'm not one of those kids who posts picture of themselves getting drunk or high. Honestly, I have better stuff do than sit around killing brain cells. However, I feel that colleges should not look at an aspiring students profile WITHOUT a good reason. We were taught from a young age not to put revealing or offense things on line; once it on the internet, it's out there and there's no going back. The reason why most people would post somethings regardless of this? I have no idea. A student may have a 4.0 but have made one stupid decision at a party. Live and learn. They don't deserve to not get into Harvard just because of that. It's in the past. It's also college, they'll learn to grow up and take responsibilty for everything they do. And they'll not to do the immature stuff. However, if a college gets a clue that a student may have a violent history, it may be advisable to look up that student, for the safety of the college and other fellow students. College students don't deserve to be punished for the immature things they did as a high-schooler.
I believe colleges do have the right to look at social networking sites of students because it is important to know the background of each student who wants to attend their college. Most kids post inappropriate comments and pictures not realizing they can be seen by many colleges. It's also important for colleges to know if their future students have any issues such as child abuse, violence, or alcohol and drug addiction and they find that they can figure these questions out by simply searching on the students Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. Although it's an invasion of privacy, it is the best and easiest way to search a student and figure out who they really are. Most people around the world like when others know how they feel so they post their thoughts and emotions on these public sites where everyone can see them. It’s important for colleges to know if students have emotional disorders such as depression because they can offer their help to the students and try to make their college experience a positive one. The fact that colleges search student’s social networking site pages also stops these kids from posting such inappropriate comments and pictures and makes these sites more enjoyable to visit.
I do believe colleges and universities have the right to look at a prospective student's Facebook. People may say it is an invasion of privacy and violates one’s first amendment right. On the contrary Facebook is a public website where other people can connect with you. So with that said it cannot be an invasion of privacy because after reading the disclosure-in which every member must agree to-everything you put on that website can be viewed. All of this public information can be helpful in making friends and connecting with others. This site can go wrong when kids start posting pictures of them using drugs or alcohol illegally. Then, it is not a matter of privacy but rather stupidity. If a prospective college student is openly sharing pictures of illegal activities then they deserve to be punished for that by not being accepted into a school. It may be harsh but in a constant evolution of technology this can be a lesson to not share things that may shed a negative light upon one’s reputation. With that said if a child is posting pictures of illegal activity a university has every right to protect their institution from a student that may be harmful to the school’s reputation and/or student body. If they cannot control themselves and post pictures of legal activities then how can they be trusted as students who can represent a university?
I believe that students should be held accountable for the things they post on Facebook and Myspace,the site is open to anyone, which means anyone can look at it. If anyone can look at it that means colleges can look it. Theres a great quote from the blogs article that says, "Students need to be accountable for their actions," says Scott Anderson...When writing on Facebook or MySpace, he says, they should be thinking, "Is this something you want your grandmother to see?". Another fact that makes it okay for colleges to look at students social networks is the fact that people pretend to be someone they are not on their applications. Its very easy for someone to lie about themselves. Checking students facebook or myspace gives the colleges a better opportunity to stop certain people to attend the college, people who are racist and or cheat on their exams or even killers, no one knows it could be a possibility. Obviously the students grades and extra activities such as sports come first but even just a little check to see how they act could affect the college's decision. Basically Facebook ad myspace are open sites to the world so why make controversy out of something we already know and can control.
I believe colleges do have the right to look at social networking sites of students because it is important to know the background of each student who wants to attend their college. Most kids post inappropriate comments and pictures not realizing they can be seen by many colleges. It's also important for colleges to know if their future students have any issues such as child abuse, violence, or alcohol and drug addiction and they find that they can figure these questions out by simply searching on the students Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. Although it's an invasion of privacy, it is the best and easiest way to search a student and figure out who they really are. Most people around the world like when others know how they feel so they post their thoughts and emotions on these public sites where everyone can see them. It’s important for colleges to know if students have emotional disorders such as depression because they can offer their help to the students and try to make their college experience a positive one. The fact that colleges search student’s social networking site pages also stops these kids from posting such inappropriate comments and pictures and makes these sites more enjoyable to visit.
I believe colleges do have the right to look at social networking sites of students because it is important to know the background of each student who wants to attend their college. Most kids post inappropriate comments and pictures not realizing they can be seen by many colleges. It's also important for colleges to know if their future students have any issues such as child abuse, violence, or alcohol and drug addiction and they find that they can figure these questions out by simply searching on the students Facebook, Myspace or Twitter. Although it's an invasion of privacy, it is the best and easiest way to search a student and figure out who they really are. Most people around the world like when others know how they feel so they post their thoughts and emotions on these public sites where everyone can see them. It’s important for colleges to know if students have emotional disorders such as depression because they can offer their help to the students and try to make their college experience a positive one. The fact that colleges search student’s social networking site pages also stops these kids from posting such inappropriate comments and pictures and makes these sites more enjoyable to visit.
Veronica Rossi
I do not believe that colleges and university admissions have the right to look at social networking sites of applying students because it is personal information. If the student makes his or her site private, than the school should not be able to view their personal information. All students should have the right to post what they please and not be penalized for it. I believe that by the school searching the student on the internet and stalking their pictures or posts is an invasion of privacy. An applying student should not be judged by what they post, especially if they have attempted to block their site. Every individual has the freedom and rights to post what they stand for. I do believe that in the past it has been unjustified for schools to deny students who were academically capable of attending a school but were put down because of their posts. Although I feel this way, I am very careful about what I post on Facebook and Twitter because I know that it can be viewed and I do not want it to affect my acceptance to a school. I know that it can be seen by schools which is why I post only appropriate and positive things on my sites, although they are all set to private.
I personally think that colleges do have the right to look at students facebook, myspace or any social network. The colleges dont want to be responsible for accepting a student who is going to be reckless. But at the same time colleges shouldnt accept a student from getting into that college over a silly post they posted on facebook.
Yes, I believe that colleges do have the right to look at social networking sites for they reflect your personality and may even help you get into a college of your choice. If you are making correct decisions in your teenage life there should nothing to hide from somebody potentially decided on the path your future will take. Even if there are those times when you experiment and do taboo things in society, they do not necessarily have to be expressed and shared with the entire world via the internet. The internet is not a safe place for any kind of personal information and in many statements of agreement place forth that unknown factor of social networking sites to the users, discreetly. However, even though many of us want our friends to see how fun and crazy our lifestyle may be, we then again would not want others like our parents, coworkers, or college admissions to experience some of the not so high moments in your weekend lifestyle. I think that Facebook and Twitter should be a place to express yourself but the happy, proud moments of your life to gloat a little, not exemplify how much you “hate everyone in the school" or how you “can't remember what happened last night".
I don’t believe that colleges have the right to look at your social media sites because I feel that it is an invasion of your privacy. I feel that what I post on any social media should be kept to myself and no one should be allowed to see it accept the people I want to. Every time I post something in a social media site I am extremely careful about what I say or pictures I post because I know that the comments I may have made or the pictures I may have posted could determine if I get into the college I want to. I strongly feel that what is on social media sites should be private and should never be violated by colleges, because these sites should not way on whether you should get into that college or not.
I think colleges should have the power to look at an applicant’s social-networking account. Looking at a person’s social-networking account helps the college get an idea of what the applicant is like. For example, if an applicant is always posting pictures of drugs, under-age drinking, and other inappropriate or illegal things then the school should definitely be allowed to question whether or not this student is good for the school or not. However, if a student posts or blogs pictures or comments about their family, being with friends, about their sports teams, or anything else that is harmless then they are most likely a good student. You have to be careful what you post online because it can always come back and haunt you. I always think twice before I post something online because I don’t want something silly and stupid to determine whether or not I’m going to be accepted the college of my dreams.
I think that universities have the right to look at a social profile of the students that are applying to their university but don’t have the right to deny an applicant based on that information. They have the right to know as much as possible about the students that will be representing their college but with that said, social profiles only show a glimpse of a person’s true personality. They only give one look into a student’s life who clearly believes they have a lot to offer and to take from the school. But more importantly, the thought of college administrations checking up on teenage profiles is creepy to say the least. To draw any sort of conclusions about a student based on this information is stupid. The people making these decisions have more power than they realize and should be careful with what information influences them the most.
I feel that a university has every right to check your Facebook, Myspace and Twitter pages as many times as they feel necessary to see what kind of person you are. When a student applies to a school, the school knows little to nothing about their life outside of school. In order to get a good feel for the students’ background, social media pages help to give that necessary background on the student and see how they interact with people outside the classroom. A student that is admitted into a university is a representation of that university and to keep a clean image, schools have a right to run background checks. With so many students applying for the same spots, schools need to go much deeper than just their grades to see who they want to admit into their school.
Being a future D1 athlete, I am held too much higher standards than the normal student, so I know to be extra careful with what I put out on the web. I am already friends with two of my coaches on Facebook, monitored by a special outside company and followed by a coach on Twitter to make sure my representation of the school and the program are up to their standards.
I strongly believe that colleges do not have the right to look at applicants social networking sites. Not only is it a total invasion of privacy, but to judge a student by their tagged pictures on Facebook in my opinion, is just plain wrong. As this world becomes even more technologically advanced, most of us have come to realize that even if we keep our Facebook pages private, admissions officers can still take a peek at what we were up to senior year. I, having many albums filled with hundreds of pictures, and thousands of tagged photos, am not even aware of half the things that are on my Facebook page. To think that I will be judged by my pictures and possibly deferred from the college of my dreams is just beyond me. I believe that every person has the freedom and right to post whatever they please without having to worry about their reputation being destroyed by a single picture. Not only is it wrong to snoop through student’s pictures, but I also think it’s a complete and utter waste of time. I feel that admissions officers should base their decision solely on a student’s application, and not something that was posted a few years ago. A person’s social networking site is meant for their own enjoyment, not their future employer’s eyes.
In my opinion, I believe that colleges should have the right to look at our social networking sites. It shows who we are as a person not only in school and we shouldn't only be judged in our performance in school, but also our lives and what we do out of school. I believe that colleges will also get a better understanding of who we are as a person and what we do. According to the article I believe that all students should be held accountable for their actions. I think the reason colleges should look at students' social networking sites is because if students get a dorm at their college they would want to know what students will be doing after classes other than just projects. Colleges should be allowed to reject students and accept students partially on their social networking websites. Even though i think colleges should be allowed to get into our social networking websites, i think they shouldn't look at everything on their social networking. For example, colleges should be able to look at everything on Facebook except for personal things like messaging or chatting because that's more personal and shouldn't be allowed to view such personal matters. I believe if they do, it gets too personal into their life. So colleges should be able to look at student’s social networking websites when they apply to their college, but to an extent of how personal they get into your life.
I believe that colleges have a right to look at a student’s social media site profile. Not only does this allow the college to grasp a better understanding on the prospective student’s personality, but it also ensures that the college is making a good and safe choice for their school. Honestly, if you’re worried about the college looking at your profile, you probably already have inappropriate things on it in the first place. So, it’s really for the best if you just erase the posts you wouldn’t want your grandma to see. Some may argue that this is an invasion of privacy, but in reality, the internet doesn’t provide someone with complete and total privacy anyway, there’s always a way to get into things on the internet. In my case, I think my profiles portray my life in the way that it really is and shows that I will be a dedicated worker and student if the college I am applying to were to look it up. Honestly, I don’t think this should concern a lot of people, because I think this topic has been mentioned a lot over the course of our high school career, leaving many people overthinking uploading the pictures of a party the previous weekend.
Post a Comment