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Your College Life Online - Page 3 |
Why do college students post so much information, including embarrassing photos and stories about themselves or others on the Internet?
- The bandwagon. Upwards of 80 percent of college students and more than three quarters of U.S. teens use social networking sites1. Baring your soul online has become so widespread that it’s those who prefer some privacy who are the odd ones out. Students think if lots of people are doing something, it must be OK.
- Freedom. Young people view posting online as a cherished form of self-expression. It’s not monitored, edited or censored. There, teens can say virtually anything they want to, including things they might not be brave enough to say face-to-face.
- Desensitization. What was once outrageous has become the norm. Young people today are desensitized to blatant sexual images due to our highly sexualized popular culture.
- Revenge. Someone who has recently broken up may get a cruel charge out of embarrassing the ex. Someone who has been harassed or treated badly may feel safer fighting back passive-aggressively than directly. There are Web sites designed specifically for this such as http://hollabacknyc.blogspot.com/, whose motto is, “If you can’t slap 'em, snap 'em.”
- Entertainment. Some people get a kick out of others' embarrassment. They feel one up when someone else becomes one down.
- Web sites make it easy and alluring. Gossip and people-trashing Web sites such as http://Juicycampus.com have been popping up lately. Sixty campuses are members of Juicycampus so far, including many Ivy League schools. The site brags that postings are “always anonymous, always juicy.” Some photo-sharing sites such as http://PixHost.com will post any content uncensored, and they let posters know that the content will never be deleted.
Next: Tips for parents
References
1. eMarketer reports: College Students Online (July 2007) and What Kids Do Online (February 2008). Retrieved from http://www.emarketer.com/Article.aspx?id=1005970&src=article_head_sitesearch
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