Irene Ly, a freshman majoring in psychology, is a Hatchet opinions writer.
We’ve all heard the warnings about posting on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or Tumblr: We shouldn’t upload pictures of ourselves drunk, naked or engaging in other inappropriate behavior that would make our parents cringe.
But now it’s time to start practicing a new kind of restraint: on the words we post on social media when we’re emotional.
Earlier this month, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments for the landmark case Elonis v. United States. The plaintiff, Anthony Elonis, was sentenced to 44 months in prison for posting several violent rants on Facebook about his estranged ex-wife and an elementary school. He is trying to have the conviction overturned, and claims he was writing rap lyrics as a form of therapy.
In one post, Elonis wrote, “There’s one way to love you but a thousand ways to kill you. I’m not going to rest until your body is a mess, soaked in blood and dying from all the little cuts.”
This has spurred a heated debate about what should be protected under the First Amendment, particularly in the 21st century with the Internet changing what constitutes a “true threat.”
The Supreme Court will not announce its decision until next summer, but no matter the outcome, Elonis’ case has without a doubt prompted questions about how what we put on the Internet can come back to bite us.
Even if Elonis has his conviction overturned, we GW students need to take his story as a cautionary tale to watch our mouths (or in this case, our fingers).
We all have our bad days when we just want to rant, and the Internet can be an easy place to go. But most GW students actually want a job after graduation, or even hope to secure a lofty political office. I’m sure we’d all hate to one day come close to achieving that ambition, before having someone dig up old rants – joking or not, lighthearted in tone or not – about how much we hate our one lame professor or overly strict boss.
With Twitter, Facebook and other sites such a part of our lives now, it has become a more common practice for employers to screen the social media pages of job applicants. The worst-case scenario: people like Elonis have faced prosecution for questionable things they post. More often, people will lose the respect of potential employers and are passed over for their dream jobs.
The next time you want to post something, ask yourself, “Do I really want all 1,000 of my friends or followers to see this?” before you click that button. I definitely will.
Better yet, go old school and write it down in a journal with a key, scream it out to an empty ocean or just keep it to yourself, because nothing is ever truly gone in cyberspace. If it doesn’t return to haunt you today, it just might tomorrow.
