Late last month, Tyler Clementi, a Rutgers University student, committed suicide after finding a web stream of him and his boyfriend having sex.
The freshman did not know his privacy had been breached until he saw his roommate’s status updates on Facebook and Twitter.
Dharun Ravi, Clementi’s roommate tweeted, “Anyone with iChat, I dare you to video chat between the hours of 9:30 and 12. Yes it’s happening again.”
On Sept. 22, soon after seeing that status update, Clementi leapt to his death off New York’s George Washington Bridge.
According to police, Ravi and another Rutgers student, Molly Wei, were responsible for hiding web cams in Clementi’s dorm room. One of Ravi’s previous tweets: “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.”
By comparison, Clementi’s last Facebook status update: “Jumping off gw bridge sorry.”
The death of Clementi, a talented violinist, is a mournful event.
It also brings attention to the sad reality that sometimes users don’t really think before they post.
In this case, while Ravi’s deplorable actions and words seem somewhat premeditated, he undoubtedly did not fully consider the consequences- for Clementi or himself.
It has become a common trend for many social media users to constantly post what is happening when it happens without thinking about who is going to read it.
For example, even as this editorial was being written, an editor came across a tweet from an individual saying, “I have a few more things to add on my to-do list before I commit suicide.”
It is upsetting from a cultural perspective that someone would broadcast this type of message online, even for comic effect.
Twitter and Facebook have proven to be two resourceful tools to “get the message out there,” but users need to be mindful of what information they post and how it might affect another individual or even themselves.
The highest-profile example: In the wake of Clementi’s death, Ravi and Wei now face criminal charges of invasion of privacy. Hate crime charges are also being considered.
Social media have transformed society in ways we could have never imagined.
With the positives have come the negatives.
Including the rampant spread of cyber bullying.
No one can stop what users post but it is their responsibility to take various things into consideration before sharing it with the world.
The Editorial Board can be reached at editor@theminaretonline.com or you may submit a Letter to the Editor form online at http://www.theminaretonline.com.