The outward expansion of social media

With every “like” of a picture, “favorite” of a tweet, and tap of the “post” button comes the risk of presenting yourself to peers, teachers, coaches, and every one of the 1.56 billion Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram users around the world.

How you present yourself on social media can tell a lot about a person, and Biddeford High School students are no exception. Whether you’re a senior applying to colleges or an athlete trying to represent your team positively, social media has begun to define the “wired generation” more than many would think.

One way social media is defining the young generation is it’s use in the college admission process. Approximately 26 percent of colleges report to having used social media for admissions in a 2013 survey. The survey also shows that about 35 percent of those admissions offices said that their findings on social media negatively affected students’ admittance to that college (source here).

Guidance counselor Jennifer Rowland clarifies, saying that social media will only hurt your chances minimally, and that the main purpose for colleges looking at your online profiles is “more to rule out anyone that’s not mentally stable.”

“I don’t think they’re going to sit there and go through it with a fine tooth comb,” said Rowland. “I think they’re just looking to make sure you’re a sane person who makes good choices and there’s no red flags.”

Further, Rowland finds that most admissions will not be too picky when it comes to reviewing your social media.

“They’re not going to sit there and go through every picture that you have on Instagram and after 100 [pictures] find you drinking a beer and saying ‘Oh no we’re not going to accept that student,’” said Rowland. “They’re not going to go that far.”

That being said, Rowland still doesn’t think that posting inappropriate things on social media is a good idea because “you never know what admissions counselor you’re dealing with.”

“They are going to look at your account and what if it’s someone who has concerns about you and they do go through with a fine tooth comb?” said Rowland. “Like I said, most of them don’t, but you never know [and] I would err on the side of caution when it comes to getting accepted to the college of your choice.”

Senior Jillian Sheltra finds this aspect of college admissions important and takes it into consideration when applying to colleges.

“I think if you’re going to post things on social media, it’s out there for the world to see, and your potential employers, maybe college admission counselors–it’s their right to look at it and what you’re posting on the internet,” said Sheltra. “So I try to follow some life advice my mom gave me: always have decorum, especially on the internet, because if colleges do choose to look at it it’s their choice and they have every right to do so.”

In fact, Sheltra appreciates the fact that college admissions are now looking at their applicants social media because “you get a more inclusive idea of who the person is” when you look at what they choose to tweet.

“I think it’s for the better because everyone can fake an application and make themselves out to be a good person, but if they’re posting not-so-great things on social media, then they shouldn’t be allowed in the school, just like someone shouldn’t be allowed in a school if they say similar things in an application,” Sheltra said.

With this in mind, many parents, teachers, and coaches are advising their students to be extra cautious on social media, Rowland saying that many students “are very trusting on social media, but I wouldn’t be so trusting” with the privacy of these websites. This is especially true for athletes, who are constantly watched by their coaches and recruiters. In fact, a promising football player from Don Bosco Preparatory School in Ramsey, New Jersey, was expelled after the school saw his “highly offensive” tweets. This scandal ruined his recruiting opportunity with the University of Michigan, his top choice (source here).

In another incident closer to home, girls basketball players were disciplined after posting a picture of themselves saluting Hitler, the girls in the picture posing in the Nazi salute position. The photo became known as the “Heil Hitler” picture. Administration took this very seriously, sending a letter home informing parents of the recent incident (source here).

Girl’s basketball coach Liz Bell has taken the imminent effects of posting inappropriate things on social media into consideration when deciding to take the head coach position this year. Bell started off the season with a clear vision for her team by trying to make them into a positive, respected, and mature group of girls. One big part of this monitoring their activity on social media and deciding to set strict rules about what each player posts.

“Our rule is pretty basic, keep it clean…no swearing, nothing that would be considered inappropriate, [and] this goes for what is being posted directly by the athlete as well as retweets,” said Bell. “I tell the girls that a good way to judge their tweets is to think ‘What would my mom or grandmother say if I tweet this?’ If it passes that question, then you are probably okay.”

Coach Bell believes that the team is taking her rule very seriously and with no complaints, resulting in positive improvement.

“The rule has been very successful [and] I have definitely seen some improvement,” said Bell. “I still continue to check on them and make sure they are holding up their end of the agreement.”

Sheltra feels that the rules, especially the consequences that come when they are not followed, are a positive influence on the team.

“She’s pretty strict about social media, so basically if we do or post anything…that she doesn’t think is going to represent the team in a good way she [will ask] us to take things down before,” said Sheltra. “I think with this rule we have a guideline and a certain expectation, which is always helping our team out because the more rules we have set in place, the better people we are.”

Unfortunately, junior Brittany Roy has seen first hand how quickly Bell acts on inappropriate social media posts, even if it wasn’t Roy’s tweet to begin with.

“Chris Couillard had his phone in math and I took it and took a bunch of selfies on it and then one of them was just me flipping it off…I didn’t know it was going to do anything but he tweeted it,” said Roy. “She [Bell] said that it was inappropriate and it doesn’t matter if we tweeted it or not.”

The typical consequence for something like this is usually suspension from the team, but this time Bell gave the team a warning, the lenient punishment mostly because it wasn’t Roy’s tweet to begin with. Roy, however, still thinks the rule is beneficial to the team, saying “it makes us look a lot classier.”

Bell believes that this rule is not only for the good of the team, but also for the good of individual, whose social media usage could be detrimental to their future and character.

“Whether the girls like it or not, they will be judged by what they decide to post on social media sites…there are coaches, colleges, employers that are making character determinations based on what they see on Twitter [and] Facebook,” said Bell. “Kids today are constantly being judged based on these sites and it is important for them to display the utmost respect and character as they are representations of their families, Biddeford High School, and our team.”

So, regardless if you’re waiting to hear from the college of your dreams, looking for jobs, or trying to represent your school or team in a positive way, social media has found a way to put itself directly in the middle, serving now as a portrayal of one’s true character. Realizing this, Bell advises everyone to be wary.

“I think it is extremely important for students to be cautious on social media sites,” said Bell. “140 characters is not worth losing college admission, scholarships…or job opportunities.”