The Impact of Social Media of College Students

The Impact of Social Media of College Students: Exploring the pros and cons of social media Janie Bryant, Joseph Escobar, Monique Hairston, Dana Hawkins, and Kiaira Muhammad North Carolina A&T State University Dr. Cunningham-Engram

The Impact of Social Media of College Students

With the growing use of social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook it is becoming difficult to resist the urge to constantly use them because we live in an era where technology encompasses our everyday lives. As the technological advances are being made, social networks play an important role in the daily lives of most, if not all, college students. Students are able to share information, pictures and self updates through common interest, communicate with classmates, family, colleagues, friends, as well as future employers. Our lives are strongly influenced by social networks without our knowledge of the insinuation. Social media sites require an incredible amount of trust. Users must enter personal data such as their name, age, and email addresses in order to gain access to all that the sites have to offer. On most sites, users are allowed to update information about themselves such as their location, who their family members are, marital status, and different interests. Social networking sites have opened new opportunities for users to generate a type of attention that they would typically not like. It raises the question, is cyber stalking becoming more dangerous than face -to -face stalking? In a study done by the Electronic Communication Harassment Organization (ECHO), researchers surveyed 250 participants between the ages of 14 and 74, and considered harassment that occurred via social networking sites, email and mobile phones. According to the study, most of the victims' ages ranged from 20 years old to 39 years old. The study revealed that face-to-face stalkers may actually know one another, whereas cyber stalkers are more likely to be acquaintances or strangers with an unclear motive for harassment.

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The report shows that 4% of people those who participated reported being stalked by a former partner. ECHO researchers also found that 37 percent of males and 23 percent of women were reportedly stalked by a stranger online. 20 percent of victims said they were tracked through their social networks, compared to the four percent who said they were targeted via dating sites. Teens reported that social networks were the most likely places where their age group would encounter cyber stalking. The question that comes to many is Is there a lack of understanding in Cyber Stalking? (Smith, 2011) This can be dangerous for the users as they are allow others the easiest form of access to them. They update their every move on twitter, post their favorite pictures of themselves on Facebook, update their blogs on their favorite things, and keep their LinkedIn updated with their latest jobs and job aspirations. It has become trouble-free for a person to keep up with your whereabouts. Cyber stalking is an issue that has become more familiar with the general population over the past few years. It is now easy to gain access to the inside of someones home, a front view at the family vacation or childs first birthday party, and even scarier, the undergarments you may be wearing. While the Internet and social networks have created a friendly cyber space, for family, friends, and acquaintances, it has opened new doors for strangers, predators and members of society with psychological issues to get close to you without your knowledge.

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Cyber stalking has allowed the man/woman behind the computer to create an alias that does not make them noticeable in the public. In most cases, persons who are doing the cyber stalking takes a random picture from online, creates a phony alias, and produces a fraudulent identity for themselves. A Chicago man was recently charged in stalking a woman online. He sent numerous emails expressing his sexual fantasies with her. 32-year-old Daniel Tamburich was charged with cyber stalking that caused emotional distress and electronic communication harassment. Tamburich is also accused of creating sexual Facebook pictures of the victim and sending them to her via email (Man faces cyberstalking charge, 2011). The power of the Internet has encouraged teens to utilize it in a variety of ways . Chatting, searching, and even game playing have emerged as some of the top things that teens use the Internet for. As the Internet continues to progress, students and web developers continue to find ways to make the cyber world more interesting. It was very clear that the Internet would stick around for a long time when it began to emerge into American households in the early 90s. The emergence of the Internet has allowed people to both log onto websites as public and private users, which in some cases has become extremely dangerous. There is a variety of chat rooms you have access to in order to engage conversation with people that share similar interests to yours. Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace are not the only worries when it comes to cyber stalking. Craigslist, which is generally used for retailers to buy and sell items, over the years, it

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has generated an enormous amount of concern for those retailers. In this time in society, it is easier to portray something and someone that you are not with the vast amount of information that is obtainable through the internet. Craigslist has recently obtained a large spot in the media due to the serial killer in Long Island, New York, who portrayed himself as an escort for the night. Philip Markoff, the Craigslist killer, is accused of going on the internet and seeking out women that advertise escort services in the New York area. Bodies were found along the beach, with similar trauma and personal background that all resembled the description of the victims. Due to the advantages the online service provides for users to tell about themselves, it allowed the man to choose his victims based upon what they looked like and where they were located. It has become extremely hard for internet users to tell if what they are doing is safe or not. The shocking fixation emerging into the internet society is college students are becoming the more prominent users. The face-to-face communication that once existed now only exists through the internet. This makes communication more dangerous and puts more kids at risk to the predators seeking to do dangerous acts to the people they meet via social networking (Mann, 2011). Technology has developed so rapidly that people are seeking more information without having to ask for it. They want to be able to, for example, type in a restaurant in their phones and have the closest one to them pop up first with an address and how far the place would be from them. Geo tagging has enabled the viewer to be right next to the user with the click of the mouse

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putting you in great danger in the cyber world. As Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter continue to matriculate into prominent roles of the social media, we the users put ourselves at more of a risk and danger with the info we allow our cyber friends to see. Most people are aware of the fun and recreation of tagging their friends to photos on the Internet, but not many are too familiar with geo tagging. The great thing about technology is that it continues to advance every day. However, the bad thing is that it grows so quickly that a large portion of humane society cannot keep up with the changes. What a lot of people do not realize now is that a lot of cell phones and cameras are equipped with GPS, and when a picture is uploaded, they may be unknowingly sharing their location with the people that share their photos with the billions of users logged into the Internet all over the world. In a report from KHSL TV in California, reports and investigations stated that, Embedded in the codes of thousands of pictures that were taken on smart phones is the GPS data or geo data (Geo tagging, 2011). Finding Geo data may be a right click away, but can also lead you into as much danger as easy it is to access the information. A Professor of Computer Science at Chico State Len Fisk says, Information as to what geo location, the longitude and latitude and the time that picture was taken. By downloading a simple extension program of any Internet Service Provider like Firefox, finding geo data is just a right-click away. Geo tagging gives you the exact latitude, longitude, and time that the picture you posted on the Internet was taken. It is a feature that can simply be turned off on your Facebook and Twitter accounts from your phones, but many people do not know how or will not take the time to do it because they

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dont feel it strongly affects them. It is just as simple as logging into your phone settings and disabling it. Some applications make it a lot easier than others to do. Arguably, it should be an opt-in feature in the first place. Sites like icanstalku.com are trying to raise awareness about inadvertent information sharing and helping educate people about how to gain control of their personal location info (Hay, 2011). College students and adolescents provide personal information on profiles that can be viewed by large numbers of unknown people and potentially used in harmful ways. The issue of online privacy on social media sites is growing into a more prevalent problem and has recently been gaining public attention. According to an online journal written by a group of Harvard Law students, among the many social networking sites that have emerged in the past decade, MySpace and Facebook have been especially significant. Facebook, in particular, boasts over 70 million active users, almost half of whom log in daily (Facebook, 2008a). In addition to entering friend relationships with peers, users can message one another; upload photos, videos, and notes; join a wide variety of groups; add applications; send electronic gifts and compose elaborate personal profiles containing all kinds of information. Through Facebooks elaborate system of privacy settings, users also have extremely nuanced control over the extent to which friends, peers, and strangers can access different parts of their profile and monitor their online activity (Lewis, Kaufman, & Christakis, 2008). Facebook is distinct among many social networking sites in two ways pertinent to personal privacy. First, unlike online universes explicitly detached from real life (e.g.

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Second Life) or at least tolerant of such discontinuity, Facebook requires users to identify themselves authentically. According to its Terms of Use, Facebook users may not impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent yourself, your age or your affiliation with any person or entity (Facebook, 2008b). This means that the information users provide on their profiles is particularly sensitive. Gross and Acquisti (2005) enumerate several risks that users subject themselves to as a result, including embarrassment, blackmailing, stalking, and even identify theft. Second, Facebook is organized around a system of networks that correspond to physical locations and institutions. Facebook maintains countless college, high school, regional, and work networks across the globe. Membership in such networks, while not required, is recommended by Facebook and allows the general location of a great many users to be known. Networks also determine the default level of public exposure afforded a new profile. When a new user registers on Facebook, she or he is provided with a blank profile template consisting of a number of predetermined response categories. These include basic information (e.g. sex, hometown), contact information (e.g. mobile phone number, campus room/residence), and personal information (e.g. interests, favorite movies/music/books), among others. New users may also upload a profile picture and join up to five networks as defined above. The default privacy setting for a new user (ego) is that the entirety of this information is viewable by anyone in

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any of egos networks. Egos profile is also viewable by anyone who is friends with ego on Facebook. While anyone who is not connected to ego via network or friendship cannot view egos profile, by default they can still locate ego using a global search function as well as view a version of egos profile consisting only of their photograph, name, and network affiliation(s). While Facebook provides a slew of options for managing the precise level of access of particular groups of people to particular sections of ones profile, two settings are of particular interest. We consider a profile to be private if either (a) the student has changed their default settings so that their profile is no longer accessible in full by a non friend, same-network user (i.e. only a truncated version is available); and/or (b) the student has changed their default settings such that their profile is no longer even searchable by a non friend, same-network user. In other words, a private profile requires that ego has taken positive steps to limit the visibility of her profile to strangers. At most, only a truncated version is available; at minimum, ego cannot be found at all, (Lewis, Kaufman, & Christakis, 2008). There are tons of problems that can arise from a violation of online privacy such as isolation and even extremes such as suicide. As a college student or even a teenager in general it is a constant struggle to fit in, and being exposed as something you dont tell people could cause you to resort to drastic measures. According to ABC News a college freshman attending Rutgers University posted a goodbye message on his Facebook page before jumping to his death after his roommate secretly filmed him during a "sexual encounter" in his dorm room and posted

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it live on the Internet. Items belonging to 18-year-old Rutgers student Tyler Clementi were found by the George Washington Bridge last week, according to authorities. Clementi's freshman ID card and driver's license were in the wallet. Clementi's post on his Facebook page, dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m. read, "Jumping off the George Washington Bridge sorry." Paul Mainardi, the attorney representing the Clementi family, released a statement confirming Clementi's suicide. "Tyler was a fine young man, and a distinguished musician. The family is heartbroken beyond words. They respectfully request that they be given time to grieve their great loss and that their privacy at this painful time be respected by all," Mainardi said. While not identical in form, the negotiation of privacy in online settings may be characterized by a similar pattern. When a new technology such as Facebook is released, there is a high degree of ambiguity over appropriate norms of conduct the very definition of this space as public or private is contested. College students, professors, parents, employers, and Facebook itself each have different and potentially conflicting interests in the way the technology is used. Students are surely aware that the information they post is publicbut the full extent and possible consequences of this display may not be recognized by all. Slowly but inevitably, excitement outstrips precaution. The technology diffuses throughout the population, and users provide ever more data on their profilesall the while maintaining the default privacy settings, not yet having reason to do otherwise, (Lewis, Kaufman, & Christakis, 2008).

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Not many states have online privacy laws, and no states have privacy laws that pertain only to college students or a child over 13. The states that have laws pertaining to online privacy are; California, Nevada, Arizona, Arkansas, Colorado, Delaware, Iowa, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New York, South Carolina, Texas, Utah, and Virginia. Online privacy is a huge problem but what make it an even bigger problem are social media sites. Facebook has been sued several times for issues dealing with a violation of privacy. Facebook has been sued for allegedly misleading members on the use of their personal information and for violating California privacy laws. The Orange County lawsuit was filed on behalf of five Facebook users, according to the AP a photographer, an actress, two children under 13 (despite needing to be 13 or older to legally use Facebook) and a user of the original Facebook. It seeks monetary damages, attorneys fees, and a trial by jury. As youd expect, Facebook believes that there is no merit to this suit and intends to fight it. There was the lawsuit seeking $70.50 in damages, the text messaging lawsuit, the iKimbo patent, a classaction lawsuit for Facebook Beacon, the famous ConnectU debacle, and most recently, Power.com is suing Facebook over data ownership. Were pretty sure this list is nowhere near comprehensive (Parr, 2009). Facebook faces these types of suits all the time, and most of the time they are either dismissed or settled. Yes, Facebooks had some thorny affairs with privacy, but recently theyve been moving in the right direction with Facebook Democracy. Allowing users to vote

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on their own Terms of Service and letting them vote on changes is more than most sites offer. Besides, this lawsuit complains about common practices being illegal, such as changing the Terms of Service. It essentially rails against Facebook for 40 pages on practically every one of its features (Parr, 2009). While all types of social media has caused a drastic change in teenagers or more specifically college students, texting while driving is becoming a bigger problem by the day. While the popularity of cell phones has increased enormously in the past two decades, its still unclear how greatly texting contributes to car crashes. What is clear is that texting behind the wheel leads to distraction, and driver inattention is the leading cause of car accidents. According to the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), 16,141 deaths attributed from texting while driving during the six years between 2001 and 2007 (Governors Highway Safety Association, 2011). Whilst this may not seem like a very huge number it has increased dramatically over the past few years. Studies completed by a group of researchers from the University of North Texas Health Science Center they found that: Deaths from distracted driving rose 28% from 2005 to 2008, at the same time text messaging rate skyrocketed from 1 million texts per month in 2001 up to a staggering 110 million per month in 2008. They also found that handset ownership also ballooned in 1999, only 33% of Americans had a cell phone, while in 2008 915 had a cell phone. Presumably, increased ownership leads to increased in the car usage and an increase in the rate of distracted driving. The same study also showed that 6% of US drivers, at any given time, are using a cell phone while behind the wheel. Though this

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figure has remained steady since 2005, usage has changed from talking while driving to the more dangerous texting while driving. Distracted driving crashes are more common in urban areas and increasingly involve males who impact a roadside obstruction while driving alone. In a recent survey called On Your Side completed by Nationwide insurance company They were able to determine that; 8 in 10 drivers support some type of cell phone usage restriction. The majority of respondents say they are supportive of laws restricting any type of cell phone use while driving. 80 percent respondents support a ban on text messaging while driving. 80 percent of respondents support a ban on e-mailing while driving. Two thirds (67 percent) of respondents say they are supportive of laws restricting phone calls while driving. Of those who supported enacting some type of cell phone usage restriction, nearly 3 in 4 believed the law should apply to all drivers, not just specific groups. Distraction from cell phone use while driving (hand held or hands free) extends a driver's reaction as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent (University of Utah). The No.1 source of driver inattention is use of a wireless device. (Virginia Tech/NHTSA) Drivers that use cell phones are four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to injure themselves. (NHTSA, Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) 10 percent of drivers aged 16 to 24 years old are on their phone at any one time. Driving while distracted is a factor in 25 percent of police reported crashes. Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37 percent (Nationwide Insurance Company, 2011).

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According to the records of U.S. department of Transportation, 43 out of 50 states have some sort of ban on the use of cell phones while operating a vehicle. Out of those 43 states, only 32 have made texting while driving a primary law for all drivers and one state which is Virginia made texting while driving a secondary law for all drivers and a primary law for bus drivers. The other 8 states have primary laws that ban texting while driving for novice drivers and the age of the novice driver is determined by that specific state, the average age being 17 years old (U.S. Department of Transporation, 2010). According to an article from The Washington Post and a study released by the National Safety Council they found that: Twenty-eight percent of traffic accidents occur when people talk on cell phones or send text messages while driving, The vast majority of those crashes, 1.4 million annually, are caused by cell phone conversations, and 200,000 are blamed on text messaging (Halsey, 2010). On February 23, 2010 a 19 year old college student named Heather Lerch lost her life because she was texting while driving. According to a blog written by her parents, Dan and Wendy Lerch, Heather Lerch was just driving home from work, when she decided to text back and forth with a friend, while she was only 3-miles from home. Heathers car struck a guardrail at an estimated 60 mph (96.6 kph) before coming to a stop just down slope from Littlerock road. According to her parents Heathers final text message was made at 10:27 pm and the first 911 call was made at 10:30pm. Heather was wearing her seatbelt but the force of

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the impact of the guardrail against the driver side pushed the door in 2 feet into the car. Heathers body was found in the front passenger area of the vehicle (Lerch, 2010). Even more recently than that example according to Premier law Group on Tuesday; a New York college student was killed in a one-vehicle accident. Officials say Mary E. Kavanaugh was texting when she lost control of her vehicle. Kavanaugh was driving down Caledonia Road around 1:30 a.m. Investigators say her car drifted to the right side of the road and she overcorrected, causing the vehicle to roll over. The 22- year-old woman was not wearing a seatbelt and was ejected from the vehicle. Sadly, she died instantly at the scene. She is believed to be the eighth person in western New York to die in a texting related car accident in the last three years. According to investigators, it is very likely that text messaging is what caused the fatal car accident. Kavanaughs cell phone shows that she sent a text message at 1:37 a.m. and received a message at 1:38 a.m., around the time of the accident. The scene was discovered three hours after the crash at 4:53 a.m. Investigators are still awaiting the results of a toxicology test to determine if alcohol was contributed to the incident (Premier Law Group, 2011). Both of these examples show just how quick an accident can happen and that no text message is worth your life. Texting while driving is an increasing problem. In the most recent years there are a lot more distracted while driving laws being implemented. According to Texas Legislation News,

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The Full House approved a ban on texting while driving in Texas, although it only prohibits the typing and sending of messages. At least 10 bills addressing texting and driving are in play for the 2011 session. Two new Texas distracted driving laws are in effect: One banning teen drivers from using cell phones and text messaging devices; the other prohibiting drivers from using handheld cell phones in school crossing zones ("Texas cell phone," 2011). According to Texas Legislation law, 7 laws were introduced to the House, all of the dealing with texting while driving. All of the bills introduced having some type of monetary or felony fine as a punishment. These fines go as high as four hundred dollars, and you could possibly be charged with a second degree felony in the event that injuries occur during a crash and third degree felony in the results of someones death. Also out of those seven laws, two of them state that it is ok to text as long as the vehicle is stopped. Only one of the house bills introduced which was house bill 676 would prevent a driver from using a handheld wireless device while stooped for a school bus when passengers are loading on and off the bus ("Texas cell phone," 2011). Drivers under the age of 18 are prohibited from using wireless communications devices. Learners permit holders are prohibited from using handheld cell phones in the first six months of driving. School bus operators prohibited from using cell phones while driving if children are present. Drivers prohibited from using handheld devices in school crossing zones. Dallas, San Antonio, Austin, Amarillo, Galveston, El Paso, Missouri City and Stephenville are among the Texas cities that have enacted local distracted driving laws ("Texas cell phone," 2011).

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According to New York Law, in New York most New York cell phone offenders are in for a surprise come Feb. 16. Along with a distracted driving ticket comes two points against the drivers license. The rule change brings handheld cell phone violations in line with penalties under the states 2009 text messaging law, which provides for 2 points against an offenders license. It is only logical to assign two points to both of these forms of distracted driving, the New York DMV said in its proposed rule-making filing. It will send a message that DMV considers cell phone violations a serious offense, in the same way DMV considers text messaging a serious offense. The DMV said it was compelled to make the change in light of the serious risks brought on by driving while using handheld cell phones. It presented a long list of statistics to back up its concerns, some outdated. ("New York law," 2011). In 2002, the DMV exempted the cell phone law from the 2 point assessment for traffic infractions, saying violators probably picked up points as a result of their distracted driving. Also, the DMV noted, the distracted drivers become part of the persistent violator equation, meaning an accumulation of 11 points in a year and a half could bring a license suspension or revocation ("N.Y. cell phone," 2011).

"...man cannot live without attachment to some object which transcends and survives him...he is too little...we have no other object than ourselves we cannot avoid the thought that our efforts will finally end in nothingness, since we ourselves disappear" -Emile Durkheim

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Being a part of a social network such as Facebook or Twitter gives the feeling of being part of a group. You can be in the home of others with the click of a button and not have to leave home. For the most part, being part of a social network is good for you, research suggests. For example, a study in this months Scientific American Mind finds that social support and social networking offer benefits, from additional resilience to greater life satisfaction to reducing the risk of health problems (Flocking Behavior Lands Online , 2009). The Views on social networking can be argued as both good and bad. On one hand, it can help us stay connected to people anywhere easily, keep you up to date on events, can reconnect you with family and so forth. Conversely, being on the internet to much, can lead to a rise in depression, loneliness, and social isolation. According to Robert Kraut, a professor of humancomputer interaction at Carnegie Mellon University found that those who used the Internet to meet people online more than to communicate with friends and family increased their depression and feelings of isolation. With the use of online social networking as the main form of socializing amongst college students, it has become a concern that they are slowly being disconnected physically and becoming more connected online. The question then becomes, is online social networking socially enhancing or socially isolating? A recent editorial of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine made the point that social networking encourages us to ignore the social networks that form in our non-virtual communities. The time we spend socializing electronically separates us from our physical networks.According to Dr. Sigman, the author of Well connected? The biological implications

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of social networking, children are now experiencing less social interaction and have fewer social connections during key stages of their physiological, emotional and social development. An increasing proportion of men and women are living alone during their mating years having far fewer social contacts. And as the graying of the population continues, the incidence and effects of social isolation are pronounced (Sigmon, 2009). One can be in a state of isolation even in a public place. While surfing the web on your BlackBerry or iPhone you are not aware of your surroundings. It has become common to see students on a college campus with their head down in their phones and walking with their iPods or MP3s in their ears. These students are a danger to themselves and run the risk of not hearing a car or shuttle bus horns while looking down on to change the song or to check their Facebook or Twitter page. In New York and Arkansas there have been a number of accidents due to people walking with earphones in their ear, or looking down at their phone or PDFs and stepping into oncoming traffic. Lawmakers are looking to pull the plug on texting pedestrians and iPodobsessed runners, claiming their diverted attention borders on disaster. After targeting drivers who paid more attention to their phone calls and text messages than the road, lawmakers are now looking to crack down on pedestrians equally distracted by their own electronic gadgets (Mataconis, 2011). The proposal in Arkansas would ban pedestrians from wearing headphones in both ears while on, parallel or adjacent to a street, road, intersection or highway. The measure also applies to runners and cyclists and would allow pedestrians to wear headphones in one ear. You might

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not get the full effect of the Boston Symphony Orchestra with one ear, but you at least will be aware of your surroundings, said Sen. Jimmy Jeffress, a Democrat from Crossett who proposed the legislation. Democratic State Sen. Carl Kruger in New York has been trying since 2007 to ban the use of cell phones, iPods and other gadgets by pedestrians in major cities while crossing the street. The proposal would ban the use of an electronic device while crossing the crosswalk in a city with a population of one million or more. Violators would face a $100 civil fine (Mataconis, 2011). Social networking sites are used to post photos and videos for enjoyment, as well as, informational purposes. Social networking is a good and vital way of keeping in touch with potential opportunities in jobs and careers, but you can lose that opportunity when degrading photos and videos are posted for the enjoyment of your peers. It opens a door of your personal life that many may not want to see. Below are incidents and cases where the posting of degrading pictures and videos have been displayed through social networking and has ruined lives and reputations. On January 1, 2011, the Associated Press published a story about four students being expelled from a suburban Kansas City nursing program after taking pictures with a human placenta and posting the pictures on Facebook. One of the students, Doyle Byrnes, is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction in U.S. District Court in Kansas to force Johnson County Community College to reinstate her before classes resumed January 19 (Campbell, 2011). The Kansas City Star, a local newspaper, reported that Byrnes and several

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other students were attending a lab course off-site at Olathe Medical Center in November when one of them asked a nursing instructor for permission to photograph the placenta so they could share their experience on Facebook. At least one of the students, Byrnes, posted a photo on the social networking site showing her smiling broadly, wearing a lab coat and surgical gloves and leaning over the placenta in a tray. There was nothing in the photos to identify the placenta as coming from a particular woman. The photo remained on Facebook for about three hours until the nursing instructor, Amber Delphia, called Byrnes telling her to remove the photo. Byrnes asked if she was in trouble and the instructor replied she was not, the lawsuit says. Byrnes removed the photo immediately and has since closed her Facebook account. Byrnes and the other three students who posed with the placenta were expelled the next day. None of the other expelled students were fully identified in the lawsuit (Campbell, 2011). The lawsuit against the college and some of its employees said that the nursing instructor did not say to the girls yes or no about taking the photo, but Oh, you girls was her response. She also did not tell them that if done, their actions can result in disciplinary actions. Jeanne Walsh, the director of nursing at the college, was critical and vital with Byrnes in a letter she wrote that was included as an exhibit with the complaint. Clifford Cohen, who represents Byrnes, argues that his client was deprived of due process and that nothing in the school's code of conduct addresses photographs or social media. Furthermore, he stated that Byrnes' actions were not disrespectful. According to court documents, Walsh has said she would support Byrnes

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if she sought readmission to the nursing school next fall. But Cohen said his client is engaged to be married in August and planned to move to Virginia with her husband and work there as a registered nurse. Cohen said his client's career hangs in the balance. Byrnes feels that her future is at risk because of "a momentary lapse in judgment," (Campbell, 2011). On September 22, 2010, a young boy committed suicide due to public embarrassment and humiliation after his roommate and roommates friend recorded his sexual encounters without his permission and posted the video on the internet. Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, an accomplished violinist, ended his life by jumping off the George Washington Bridge. Dharun Ravi, 18, of Plainsboro, and Molly Wei, 18, of Princeton, were charged with two counts each of invasion of privacy for using the camera on Sept. 19 to view and transmit the live sex scene. Ravi is also charged with two additional counts of invasion of privacy for unsuccessfully trying to capture a second scene involving the same student two days later, according to Middlesex County Prosecutor Bruce Kaplan (Martinez, 2010). Ravi used the social networking site Twitter to announce that he had recorded his roommates action and wanted his followers to join him in watching it. "Roommate asked for the room till midnight. I went into molly's room and turned on my webcam. I saw him making out with a dude. Yay," Ravi said on his Twitter page in a Sept. 19 entry posted at 6:17 p.m. He then tweeted two days later asking his followers to iChat to watch the live video feed. "Anyone

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with iChat, I dare you to video chat me between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it's happening again." Ravi is also accused of trying unsuccessfully to broadcast a second sex scene Sept. 21. Clementi's posted on his Facebook page, dated Sept. 22 at 8:42 p.m. read, "Jumping off the GW Bridge sorry." Rutgers officials said the students may also face discipline on campus for the alleged invasion of privacy (Martinez, 2010). "The university takes these matters seriously and has policies to deal with student behavior. Under federal law, the university cannot comment on specifics involving student conduct," said Sandra Lanman, a Rutgers spokeswoman. Rutgers President Richard L. McCormick says, "The case is being investigated by the Rutgers University Police Department. The students -- like all who are accused of a crime -- must be presumed innocent until proven guilty. The case is also being investigated by the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs under the code of student conduct," (Heyboer, 2010). Under New Jerseys invasion-of-privacy laws, it is a fourth degree crime to collect or view images depicting nudity or sexual contact involving another individual without that persons consent, the prosecutor said. It is also a third degree crime to transmit or distribute the images. If the students are convicted on a third degree offense they could face up to five years in prison each under state law. Conviction on a fourth-degree crime could lead to probation or up to 18 months in prison (Privacy Law, 2008).

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On February 21, 2011, a horrific fight took place on the campus of Alabama State University (ASU) in their cafeteria. For reasons unknown, a brawl began Monday afternoon between two groups of students. Arrests have been made, but the investigation is still in the works (ASU investigating fight on campus, 2011). ASU Chief of Police, Huey Thorton, announced that as soon as the brawl was reported, police officers arrived on the scene and broke up the incident with no serious injuries reported. He also states that, "The safety of the students, faculty and staff is paramount, so we will follow every lead that we can to identify students and deal with the situation judiciously" (ASU investigating fight on campus, 2011). The saddest thing about these incidents is as soon as they are posted or talked about students rush to websites like YouTube, World Star Hip Hop, and Media Take Out to watch. The videos and pictures that are posted and watched by college students does not make social media have an initial negativity about them, but it is the content of the picture and video that attracts the crowds to watch. Realistically, people, especially college students, seek enjoyment through hurtful, inhumane and negative images. With these photos and videos being added online it becomes easier for defamation of character suits to arise. Students are not taking the necessary precautions to protect themselves from these types of suits. Defamation of character on social networks has been a big issue to be dealt with not only by online administrators, but also school and corporate administrators. When MySpace first became popular in the early 2000s, it allowed you to judge people you were both friends and not friends with to see who looked better. This was simply done with the click of the Hot or Not

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button followed by a comment of the individuals in the picture. As MySpace generated a lot of users, the administration gave users the ability to rate their college professors. The point of the system was so that students could see what other students thought the professor before they chose to actually take that professors class. However, this quickly became a way for students to bash the teachers who gave them grades they did not feel they deserved and/or a fishing tool for students to find the easiest teachers. The MySpace teacher rating portion of its website has allowed students to become more comfortable with posting negative comments about professors that are irrelevant to the class thats being taught. Defamation is false and unprivileged spoken words or written publication, which exposes any living person to hatred, contempt, ridicule, can cause him/her to be shunned or avoided, or which has a tendency to injure him/her in his/her trade or occupation. Students have taken complete advantage of the ability to talk about their high school and college professors over social media. It has gotten to the point where it is also in violation of the law. In Henry County, GA, a high school student faced charges for making fun of a teacher over the social network MySpace. The remarks were intended as jokes, but the teacher did not take the jokes the same way the students did. 15-year-old Alex Davis and several other students were charged with defamation for creating a MySpace profile that made homosexual remarks about the teacher and also teased him about a coffee and soda habit. Although many considered the charges to be petty, the teacher filed charges against the students to have them punished for ruining his reputation (Student Charged For Making Fun Of Teacher, 2006).

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Recently, a variety of sites have been created that allowed users to sign on anonymously and post comments about various people or issues on campus in an unprofessional manner. Juicy campus was one site that became very popular amongst college students because of the easy access to gossip and rumors; disregarding if what was being read was truthful or not. This site became a danger when students began posting other students personal information such as phone numbers and addresses. The site was shut down in February of 2009, but its impact on the campuses that were involved is still prevalent (Go, 2009). Thinking of the safety of the students, schools began to have the site investigated, but no charges were ever filed against them by any attorney general. According to the Juicy Campus blog site Juicy Campus services have always been well within the law (Official JuicyCampus Blog, 2009). While there are privacy terms and conditions on all social media sites, there is more value placed on publicity then privacy; exposing their likes, dislikes, fears, as well as personal demons (Trembly, 2011). The danger in social media is in its openness. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow you to respond to with and/or post your personal opinion on someone elses page in addition to your own page. Though the First Amendment gives you the right the freedom of speech, words can be misconstrued and, in turn, incite violence. The danger of social networking sites came in the forefront with the news of the first Twitter murder. Detectives in New York say a powerful confrontation between two friends came after angry messages and comments were posted on Twitter, the Micro-blogging site. According to The New York Daily News, a Twitter argument allegedly resulted in murder last month, and

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New York police may subpoena Tweets as evidence in the case. Jameg Blake, 22, is accused of fatally shooting Kwame Dancy a 22-year-old nursing student, with a shotgun blast to the neck. Blake pleaded not guilty this Wednesday to the charges against him. The Harlem murder case allegedly took place in an apartment building on W. 132nd St. on December 1, 2010. Hours before his death, Blake, the alleged killer, sent Dancy a tweet saying Ns is looking for u dont think I wont give up ya address for a price betta chill ASAP! Two days later, Blake posted on his twitter page RIP Kwame (Feeney, 2010). Two months later in Atlanta, GA, a Clark Atlanta University (CAU) student named Ebonee Rauzaeu was involved in an altercation at a Kappa Alpha Psi party where she was beaten by a group of angry women. Soon after the fight she went to the parking lot and spoke to the officer on duty at the party and demanded he find her assailants. She felt he was not doing enough to help her so she called more officers who in turn had to shut down the party (Qevlar, 2011). Angry patrons came out into the parking lot where Rauzaeu was boasting about getting the party shut down. Upset females started to fight her again but the brawl was quickly broken up, Says Corey Daniels, a senior at CAU who witnessed the fight. Not, however, before a video of the attack was made and put on twitter. Daniels goes on to explain that the irritated club promoters began chasing her around the parking lot in an effort to take a picture of her. One promoter got her name from a bystander and began the trending topic #eboneefromCAU on Twitter. While they did not intend to hurt the girl,

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the trending topic shot to the number two topic in the United States. Rauzaeu was humiliated and embarrassed but kept a low profile until spring break where she was recognized from the twitter videos and pictures and was beaten again at Club Dream in Miami, FL (Daniels, 2011). Social Media is becoming a widespread epidemic across college campuses. Studies are now showing how social media is beginning to take over classrooms and traditional lectures. There are many different social media outlets throughout the web. For example, Facebook, digg, twitter, YouTube, Reddit, BlogSpot, Flickr, and del.icio.us are all social media sites ranging from blogs to general social sites. These social sites have both negative and positive impacts on college students, college campus and education. Twitter is a social site that allows you to let the world know what you are doing right at that very moment and where you are if you want to in 140 characters. It is similar to the status update feature on Facebook in a more repetitious form. It also allows you to follow others that you know and even those you dont. It is a persons way of keeping up with what is going on in others lives. Twitter is also a good way to keep up with what organizations are involved in or learn more about them. In 2008, social media became a really powerful tool for the Obama campaign. He used social networking sites to help spread the word about his campaign and gain supporters. There were group pages, and support pages that helped explain the specifics of his message. Politicians

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usually focus on college students when election time comes around because young people make up a good majority of the voters population (Obama, 2009). Anthony Cody began his Teachers Letters to Obama Facebook campaign as a personal outlet, a diary entry that soon grew into a movement. As a result of that movement, twelve people were granted a conference call with Arne Duncan, the United States Secretary of Education. They were able to discuss concerns and give suggestions for Obamas blueprint for revising the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). Teachers have begun to take advantage of the social sites, using them to connect with the students. A discussion page for teachers to write their experiences, concerns, and suggestions, soon found its way to a congressman. In turn, a conference call was scheduled between Anthony Cody and a small panel of teachers representing all walks of education life from all over the country (Cody). College students are using social media everywhere they can and at anytime possible to stay connected. Teachers have come to realization that students will use whatever tool they have access to these sites; be it a web enabled cell phone, iPod, or a laptop. So teachers have come up with creative ways to incorporate social media in their classrooms and engage their students in the learning process. I have watched at least one Youtube video per day for both educational and entertainment purposes, says a teacher at UC Berkeley. With the use of social media, students are encouraged to share interesting and relevant videos, news articles, blog posts with their class. Thus, a rise in class engagement and dialogue is the outcome. Since social media is

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becoming so popular and include a variety of information people may neglect to say when attempting to get a job or attend a school, admissions offices and employers are looking at social media sites to do background checks on potential students and employees. Admission representatives are viewing Twitter and Facebook as a way to better access prospective students for things such as scholarships, internships, financial aid, etc. These social networking sites have become, in a sense, resumes; another way to get to know college students. Often times, students put things up on social networking sites as a way to promote themselves. For example, students are posting video clips, artwork, and papers to social sites to get exposure (HEVRDEJS, 2011). Social media sites have become a versatile tool to disseminate information. College campuses are starting to use it as a way to connect students with the community and also alumni. Last February, Harper College, located in Illinois, created an admissions live chat that enabled staff to interact with current and prospective students online (Johnson, 2011). Harper College also started a social media-centered enrollment campaign, which urged students and others to upload videos, their education, and career related plans to their YouTube channel. The school has also used Facebook and Twitter to allow students to submit complaints. Their use of social media has been a relationship building benefit and hopes other colleges will soon catch on (HEVRDEJS, 2011). 59% of students with access to the Internet report that they use social networking sites to discuss educational topics including career and college planning, and 50% use the sites to talk

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about school assignments. Some parents and teachers say that using these sites helps students improve their reading, writing, and conflict resolution skills, learn to express themselves more clearly, and meet new and different kinds of students from around the world (Owyang, 2010). There are also many negative consequences that come along with using social networking sites. There are risks of information overload, sharing our findings before publication (or in a student's case, submitting their assignment), not to mention the time and effort required, says Dr. Ruth Page. When I worked at Birmingham City University, we used blogs to assess students' contributions to a critical theory module. She believes that with students being able to use social networking sites to do school work, they lose their knowledge of the basic manual learning skills (Page, 2011). Social media for college students has become like a necessity just as air and water is needed for survival. A study done at the University of Maryland at College Park proved how detrimental social media has become to students and education. The study titled, 24 Hours: Unplugged challenged 200 students to go without using any form of social media for 24 hours. Students who participated in the study said that abstaining from social media made them feel anxious, jittery, antsy and miserable. "Texting and IMing my friends gives me a constant feeling of comfort," said one student. "When I did not have those two luxuries, I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable," (Staff, 2010). By

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not using any form of social media for 24 hours, students had more time to focus on school work and had more time to study. Critics argue students have become too reliant on social media. A central Pennsylvania technological college with about 800 total students blacked out social media for a week on its campus. Neither students nor faculty had access to twitter, Facebook, and etc. while they were on campus. On campus, attempts to log in to MySpace or LinkedIn return the message: "This domain is blocked," (AP, 2010). This experiment was done to show people how to think critically about the prevalence of social media and its effects. One student, Ashley Harris, 22, said the blackout has freed her to concentrate on her class work instead of toggling on her laptop between social networks and the lesson at hand. "I feel obligated to check my Facebook. I feel obligated to check my Twitter. Now I don't," Harris said. "I can just solely focus (on my work)," (AP, 2010). Using social sites can to often become a distraction if not used correctly. Social sites have become accessible practically anywhere. While students should be in class learning, they are putting more attention on their personal websites. The time students are spending on Twitter and Facebook is far more than the time they are spending on studying. Statistics show that Facebook has come to dominate social networking in the US, and overtook MySpace in 2009. The second tier networks, such as Tagged, Hi5, MyYearbook and Bebo, were at an impressive 36 million viewers per month, and users spent a fair amount of time on those sites. BlackPlanet users spent 3.6 minutes longer interacting with the site than the average Facebook visitor.

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MyYearbook and Tagged users were on these sites more than 3 minutes longer than the average MySpace visitor. There is definitely addictive behavior occurring on these other sites, (Prescott, Feb 2009). Theres a change in more people using social networks from mobile devices rather than desktops. More people are using the mobile web to socialize 91% compared to the 79% of desktop users who do the same. It appears that the mobile phone is actually a better platform for social networking than the PC, (Perez, 2010). This becomes another distraction for college students being that it is so easy for them to get on their web-activated phones and search the web while in class or walking around campus. The mobile devices become a students way of tuning out their surroundings. With less students reading their schools code of conduct, they are becoming more and more susceptible to being expelled for the things done on their personal social sites. In the Yoder v. University of Louisville case, a nursing student from was expelled after making caustic and profane observations on race, sex and religion comments on her MySpace account about the patients she had encountered. Yoder was found in violation of the schools honor code. Yoder believed her First Amendment right to free speech was violated and felt she was not given the right to due process. After being expelled, she appealed the expulsion and was denied the right to be heard. The case went to the U.S. District Court and the judge ruled that the wording of the

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documents signed by Yoder were so outlandish that the school could not base their expulsion off the honor code (Sundquist, 2010). In the case of Stacy Snyder v. Millersville University, a student teacher was barred from the classroom prior to her completing the semester and obtaining her education degree. Snyder posted pictures on MySpace of herself dressed as a pirate with the subtitle, drunken pirate. Instead of expelling her from school, the school district classified her as an employee rather than as a student to discipline her for her actions. The University reclassified some of her credits, giving her an English degree rather the education degree that would have allowed Ms. Snyder to seek credentialing. She argued her freedom of speech had been narrowed and it was unfair for the university to classify her as an employee. The judge ruled in favor of the university (Snyder v. Millersville University, 2008). As the use of social media continues to grow on campuses, school districts have begun implementing certain rules and guidelines that teachers and students should follow. Some of the guidelines that the Missouri School Board Association has established that staff members should not do include: 1. Knowingly allow students access to the staff member's personal social networking website or webpage that discusses or portrays sex, nudity, alcohol or drug use or other behaviors associated with the staff member's private life that would be inappropriate to discuss with a student at school. 2. Knowingly grant students access to any portion of the member's personal social networking website or webpage that is not accessible to the general public. 3. Post information about identifiable students on a personal website or webpage on a social networking site without the permission of a supervisor. (Forster)

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In 2009, Louisiana Governor, Bobby Jindal, signed a new law that essentially prohibits electronic communications between teachers and students. In order to avoid inappropriate communications, many districts are advising staff to avoid friending current students on social networking sites. Further, staff should be reminded that even though they may be utilizing the privacy settings provided by the social networking site, even people classified as friends have the ability to download and share their information with others. On most computers, people are able to take a screen shot, or a literal picture of your page, and post it on various other sites. So things that may be private to viewers who are not your friends on your webpage now have access to it. This may result in their photos and comments being viewed or read by students, parents and administrators (Forster). Missouri Valley College is another school that knows how important social media sites have become and are using them to their advantage. They, too, have a policy that must be adhered to when it comes to using social media on campus. The college developed the social media policy to make sure that any and all interactions represent the college in a positive light. These guidelines apply to accounts that have Missouri Valley College attached to them. The content uploaded must be respectable and you must not violate any federal, local or state laws (Social Media Policy). The use of social media will always be a part of the average college students life however, student should learn the proper ways to manage their social networks as to not interfere with their original purpose while in college; to get an education. The distractions that social

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networks present makes it difficult for students to keep up with school work if they pay attention at all. With the techonological world changing daily around them, it is a necessary part of their lives in this day and time. Nevertheless, students need to realize the dangers that they make themselves susceptable to on the internet when they dont know, or dont care to monitor the information they disclose about themselves. These social networking sites have becoming somewhat of a tracking device for students with the constant Twitter updates, tagged pictures, Facebook statuss, and geotagging where they are in tweets. While it would be useless to try to block college students from their social networks, there should be guidelines for using them on campus and in classes. Studies have shown as stated above that students who spend less then the avereage amount of time of the day on a social networking site perform better academically in school. And that is what, overall, is the goal for the college students.

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Forster, K. (2010, December 9). Social media and schools students rights, teachers responsibilities. Retrieved from http://www.lashlybaer.com/pdfs/Social-Media-andSchools-Students-Rights-Teachers-Responsiblities-Oct-2010.pdf Friedman, E. (2010, September 29). Victim of secret dorm sex tape posts Facebook goodbye, jumps to his death. Retrieved from http://abcnews.go.com/US/victim-secret-dorm-sextape-commits-suicide/story?id=11758716. Geotagging putting your privacy in danger? (2011 February, 22) KHSLTV, Retrieved March 2011 from http://www.khsltv.com/content/specialreports/story/Geotagging-PuttingYour-Privacy-in-Danger/MgOfytZ3qUCJHs-SL4oNGg.cspx Go, A. (2009, February). Juicy Campus Will Be Shut Down. Retrieved March 2011, from US News Education: http://www.usnews.com/education/blogs/paper-trail/2009/02/04/juicycampus-will-be-shut-down Cell phone and texting laws. (2011, April). Retrieved from http://www.ghsa.org/html/stateinfo/laws/cellphone_laws.html Halsey III, A. (2009, November 17). U.s. teens report 'frightening' levels of texting while driving. Retrieved from http://www.washingtonpost.com/wpdyn/content/article/2009/11/16/AR2009111602174.html

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Hay, M. (2011, March). Pros and Cons of Geotagging. Retrieved March 2011, from http://blog.lewispr.com/2011/03/pros-and-cons-of-geotagging.html Hevrdejs, J. (2011, March 13). How social media can affect your college dreams. Retrieved from http://azdailysun.com/lifestyles/article_c448b72e-177a-5fb0-8dbc571cc4d73969.html pp. 1-3. Heyboer, K. (2010, September 29). Rutgers University freshmen are charged with invasion of privacy for using a hidden camera on a student. Retrieved February 2011, from New Jersey Real-Time News: http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2010/09/rutgers_university_freshmen_ar_1.html Johnson, J. (2011, January 19). Social media newbies: Advice from Harper College. Retrieved March 2011, from The Washington Post: http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campusoverload/2011/01/ social_media_newbies_some_advi.html Lerch, D. (2010, May 31). Pleasenever text and drive. Retrieved from http://heathersstory.org/ Lewis, K., Kaufman, J., & Christakis, N. (2008). The Taste for Privacy: An Analysis of College Student Privacy Settings in an Online Social Network. Journal of Computer Mediated Communication , 2. http://www.wjh.harvard.edu/~kmlewis/privacy.pdf

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Mann, C. (2011, April 12). Long island serial killer? medical examiner to study unidentified beach-area remains. Retrieved from http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_16220053194-504083.html Man faces cyberstalking charge. (2011). Retrieved from Chicago Sun-Times: http://www.suntimes.com/news/metro/4713458-418/man-faces-cyberstalkingcharge.html Martinez, E. (2010, November 1). Tyler Clementi Suicide: No One Saw Rutgers Sex Broadcast, Say Lawyers. Retrieved March 2011, from Crimesider: http://www.cbsnews.com/8301504083_162-20021341-504083.html Mataconis, D. (2011, January 25). Two States Considering Outlawing Texting While Walking. Retrieved March 2011, http://www.outsidethebeltway.com/two-states-consideringoutlawing-texting-while-walking/ Nationwide Insurance Company. (2011). www.nationwide.com. Retrieved from http://www.nationwide.com/newsroom/dwd-facts-figures.jsp. New York cell phone law adds two points. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.handsfreeinfo.com Nursing Students Out For Placenta Photos. (2011, January 2). Retrieved March 2011, from http://www.kmbc.com/r/26343722/detail.html

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Obama, B. (2009). Barack Obama . Retrieved February 2011, from Facebook: http:// www.facebook.com/barackobama#!/barackobama?sk=info Owyang, Jeremiah. "A Collection of Social Network Stats for 2010." Web Strategy. Jeremiah Owyang, 19 Jan. 2010. Web. 13 Mar. 2011. <A Collection of Social Network Stats for 2010>. http://www.web-strategist.com/blog/2010/01/19/a-collection-of-social-networkstats-for-2010/ Page, R. (2011, March). Social media savvy: the universities and academics leading the way. Retrieved March 2011, from Higher Education Network: http://www.guardian.co.uk/higher-education-network/ higher-education-networkblog/2011/mar/14/social-media-best-practice-in-higher-education Parr, B. (2009). New Facebook lawsuit: this time over online privacy laws. Retrieved from http://mashable.com/2009/08/17/yet-another-facebook-lawsuit/ Perez, S. (2010, February 18). Social Networking Now More Popular on Mobile than Desktop. Retrieved March 2011, from Read Write Web: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/ social_networking_now_more_popular_on_mobile_than_desktop.php Premier Law Group. (2011, Febaury). Retrieved from plg-pllc.com. Privacy Law. (2008). Retrieved March 2011, from New Jersey Law Network: http://www.njlawnet.com/privacy.html

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Qevlar, D. (2011, February 20). Insane Radio ATL. Retrieved February 2011, from http://www.insaneradioatl.com Sigmon, A. (2009, February). The biological implications of social networking. Retrieved February 2011, from aric sigman: http://www.aricsigman.com/IMAGES/Sigman_lo.pdf Smith, C. (2011). Cyberstalkers Take To Social Networks Over Dating Sites:STUDY. Retrieved from Huffpost Technology: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/cyberstalkingstudy-social-network_n_847037.html Diamond, J. UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT, (2008). (2:07-cv-01660-PD) Snyder v. Millersville University. Social Media Policy. (n.d.). Retrieved April 12, 2011, from Missouri Valley College: http://www.moval.edu/IT/social_media.php Staff, C. (2010, April 28). College Students Addicted To Social Media. Retrieved April 11, from http://www.citytowninfo.com/career-and-education-news/articles/college-studentsaddicted-to-social-media-10042801 Student Charged For Making Fun Of Teacher. (2006, May 16). Retrieved March 2011, from http://www.wsbtv.com/news/9219518/detail.html Sundquist, A. (2010, April 12). En banc rehearing on free speech decisions granted. Retrieved from http://www.utbf.com/land-zoning/tag/js-v-blue-mountain-school-district/

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Texas cell phone laws, legislation. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.handsfreeinfo.com Trembly, A. (2011, January 6). Privacy vs. Exhibitionism: Why Social Media are Dangerous. Retrieved march 2011, from: http://www.insurancenetworking.com U.S. Department of Transporation. (2010). cell phone Laws. Retrieved from: http://www.distraction.gov/state-laws/