WWJD?: What Not to Tweet
![Courtesy of Google Images](https://northmontthunder.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/image-e1412862583381.jpg)
Courtesy of Google Images
October 9, 2014
The first and most important rule of social media: Post about others as you would have others post about yourself. It’s like your mother always told you, the “Golden Rule” is one to abide by.
Refrain from posting photos of friends and family that could be embarrassing. You know how bad it feels when your mom or best friend shares some hideous picture of you from the seventh grade, it sucks. So when you’re debating about whether or not to press send on your big sister’s least favorite picture of herself, decide against it. I know it would probably be hilarious, but you wouldn’t laugh so hard if it was a photo of you. It’s best to just keep that photo for some private laughs.
Don’t be mean. You’ve heard about “cyberbullying”. You know how detrimental it can be. Cyberbullying has had a negative impact on the lives of hundreds of teenagers, and has even pushed some to suicide. Regardless of how you feel about someone, you should never take to the internet to vent or argue. If you feel like social media is your only outlet, and you abdolutely have to post something, be extremely careful when wording what you say. Don’t send anything you wouldn’t say in person. It’s cowardly to attack, tease, and harass someone from behind a screen.
Tweeting people’s secrets is not okay. If someone trusts you enough to share something personal with you, you should keep it to yourself. Don’t post something that would leave them feeling uncomfortable or exposed. You shouldn’t share someone’s secrets out of spite or just for a laugh. You shouldn’t even do it if they tell one of your secrets. “An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind”. “Two wrongs don’t make a right.” Just think of more things your mother would say. It’s never okay, regardless of whatever reason you come up with to try to justify the act.
On the topic of “exposing,” when online, away from all naked photos. I know they’re extremely popular among teens now, especially since hundreds of nude pictures of celebrities were stolen from iCloud this year and released onto the internet. Jennifer Lawrence, Vanessa Hudgens and Jill Scott were just a few of the women violated and exposed. Teenage girls saw the attention and excitement around the pictures and a few of them felt compelled to take and send photos of their own, without recognizing the dangers of doing so. Don’t take them, don’t post them, don’t retweet them, favorite them or like them. No good comes from being involved with any of that. If another teenager sends you a naked picture, delete it. Please do not post it. Today it seems to be common for high school students to share these kinds of photos without permission and “expose” their peers. If you do, then not only are you a jerk, but, you are also a distributor of child pornography. You can get into trouble at home, school, and with the law. On top of those consequences, there can also be a great emotional toll on the subject of these photos. Many are harassed at school, embarrassed online, and slip into depression shortly after they are exposed. When you consider all of the bad that can come from posting nude pictures, it’s easy to see why you should avoid them. They’re not worth all of the damage done.
What Would Jaylin Do? Listen to more advice from mothers everywhere. If I have nothing nice to post about someone, I won’t post anything at all.
Caitlin Cuesta • Nov 12, 2014 at 11:53 pm
I adore this article! Young people need to understand the impression they leave on their followers, who could be friends, family or even potential employers. Subtweeting or starting drama online, posting inappropriate photos, and being a vulgar person on social media makes someone look VERY tacky and immature. Another thing I want to touch on- teenagers are very hormonal and emotional (trust me, I’m a prime example), and I totally understand the desire to run straight to Twitter when you’re upset over something and rattle off a few F-bombs and various insults and vicious libel, but that is a horrible idea. I know you may feel better after you send that tweet off, but please refrain. It will get you in lots of trouble, especially when you’re indirectly directing it at someone. They will find out, I promise, so just save yourself the humility and THINK BEFORE YOU TWEET! ❤️