Today, the use of social media is, to say the least, prevalent. Social networking sites offer another medium for us in which we can express ourselves freely. In the United States alone, at least 77% of the population uses some form of a social networking site. Places such as Australia and the UK consist of a little over 80% of the population. Yet, the freedom of using social networking websites presents a unique challenge to governments and institutions as it tackles the questions of what constitutes personal expression, and what is a legitimate infraction within the bounds of certain institutions?
Conflicts that have arisen regarding the use of social networking sites are frequent. Take for instance the case of Austin Carroll at Garrett High School in Garrett, Indiana, who was expelled for using profanity on his personal twitter account. Carroll was expelled in March for allegedly tweeting the f*word on his twitter account while he was at school. Austin though claimed that he tweeted this while he was at home at 2 o’clock in the morning. The principal stated that the school monitors what the student’s tweet on their accounts when they log in, therefore with this they argued that he tweeted the rather frank message while he was at school.
Austin’s mother expressed disappointment towards the school’s final verdict, stating that even though she disagrees with what her son had done she believes that the school was wrong to expel Austin. She adds that a few days of suspension would have sufficed but expulsion when he was three months of graduating was a bit drastic. Austin defends himself stating that he should not be getting in to trouble for things that he did during his own time and on his own computer.
Austin has a right to claim this, as social media freedom corresponds with our free speech rights rather than a distinction of the digital age. Yet, one should keep in mind exactly who are the audiences of their personal pages and what the site is being used for. Regardless of intent or context there are some topics that are tacitly taboo regardless of the site. A little social media etiquette 101 in schools and even in the workplace would benefit everyone.
Cases like the Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District define the constitutional rights of students in U.S. public schools. The Tinker test is used by courts to determine whether a school’s disciplinary actions violate students’ First Amendment rights. We are free to express whatever we wish on our own personal sites and private time but should keep in mind that we will be accountable for what we type as much as if we were to say it openly but we should also know that when we express ourselves on a personal blog, networking site, or in the classroom itself, these are personal expressions regarded and protected by the first amendment.
Hi Rachel, I have been having a few conversations with my 16yr old nephew of late, about what I consider his bad habit of playing his entire life out on Facebook – warts and all. There is unfortunately, a lack of grasp for the damage that could be done in the future. As you say, a little social media etiquette 101 is required in School.