Facebook has been getting a lot of attention lately, and it's not just because of The Social Network, the Hollywood hit based on the popular website's creation (although that does have a lot to do with it).
More and more, Facebook and other social networks like Twitter have been making their way into the news, many times as part of legal and civil cases and disputes. Most recently, Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University freshman, was driven to suicide after being a victim of "cyberbullying," which has since become a new buzzword and hot news topic.
Clementi's roommate, who illegally shot video of Clementi having sex with another man and proceeded to share it online via Twitter, now finds himself in legal trouble in addition to the obvious moral transgressions he is guilty of. Though the roommate quickly removed the "tweets" from his Twitter account, authorities easily recovered them.
Websites like Google "cache" everything that happens on the Internet in its own storage area, so even if one removes a Facebook status or a tweet, it's still somewhere out in cyberspace.
The moral of this story: if doing the right thing isn't even enough to keep you from posting incriminating material online, consider that it can be used against you by detectives and lawyers.
There have been many recent cases where social networking has gotten people into trouble. Last month, a juror was removed from a trial in Detroit, Mich. and fined $250 after she posted on her Facebook account that it was "gonna be fun to tell the defendant they're guilty" before the case was over.
If you are on Facebook, make sure you are familiar with your account's privacy settings. If you're not careful, you could be sharing your information with the whole world rather than just the people that you are "friends" with.
If you're still in school, consider your life after graduation every time you post. Job employers often use Facebook to easily eliminate candidates that post questionable material (LinkedIn is a more professional way to network in the business community).
It is troubling that in today's world, we often know a wealth of information about people that we wouldn't even say hello to in the hallway. People seem more eager to share information about themselves in an online public forum than they are to reveal in person.
Recently, Twitter and Facebook granted users the ability to post their location along with a status update. In an online world where stalking is already way too common, it is probably not a good idea to allow others to find you so easily.
Of course, social networking can also be extremely beneficial. It is a great way to stay in touch with friends, promote events and causes you are a part of, and share experiences. More than ever, though, users just have to keep in mind that everything that gets posted in the cyber world has consequences in the real world.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
