WT has recently had a splurge of different social media sites that are based on anonymous postings. A few pages for specific reference are WT Confessions, WT Secrets and WT Blind Date. People submit a variety of content to the administration of the page and the administration then posts of behalf of the user submitting.

The idea on remaining anonymous gives many students a firmer back bone and courage to post things that they would not normally post. Some of these things are very vulgar or just plain blunt assertions about other people. With no way to trace who has posted what, people feel no shame to just blurt out whatever they feel. The nastier the posts, the more popular the sites become.

Now this could have a negative connotation for the people who like a page. When a Facebook user likes a specific page, it is then reflected in that entire user’s friend’s newsfeed. If you are a student who is in the job search process and a future employer sees that you have liked a page that negatively reflects other people, that could potentially hurt the chances of getting the position. Employers are looking more and more into social media accounts upon hiring new employees these days and focus on the interaction that a prospect has with other people online.

One positive site that has recently come about is WT Life Hacks. This Facebook page is a place for students to post helpful tips about college life. This is beneficial for underclassmen in learning the ropes at a new university. It is a way for students to share things that they have learned through their college experience and save time for others who haven’t learned yet.

Another issue that comes forward with this idea of anonymous postings is that of libel. Most students who post to an anonymous Facebook page don’t understand the concept of libel. Libel is basically written defamation, which is a published false statement that damages someone’s reputation. Students think that these sites are all fun and games until they are the ones being named on these sites.

It is important that social media users have a basic sense of libel before posting about others. Students shouldn’t use social media sites as a venting place against other students or use the sites as a viable source to take out frustrations against others by publishing false statements. Students need to be aware of legal concepts that can go with social media sites.