What is on my mind at the moment is the social media surrounding Shippensburg University.

Social media at one time were a fascinating thing for me.

I could not seem to get enough of it, especially when I came to SU.

With meeting new people and making new friends, social media were the perfect outlet I needed in order to get in contact with those I had met in passing.

But now I despise it.

Most importantly, I despise the Ship Confessions Twitter page and every spinoff that has been created in light of it.

I will not lie and say I did not at one point in time think it was funny — because I did.

Yet now it reminds me of high school more than ever before. Even more so it reminds me of all the rude and humiliating things some high school students do to one another in their immature years as teens.

This is not high school —this is college — and not just any college.

We are SU, which is a highly respected university that brings in students from all walks of life.

This not only hurts our school, but as students of the university it makes us all look like one-tenth of the intelligent individuals we actually are.

Some may believe in the saying that sticks and stones may break their bones but words will never hurt them.

Unfortunately, I find that hard to believe.

I believe this really does hurt feelings — deeply.

In addition, not only are these accounts hurting others but they are also walking a thin line with the law.

We as Americans have always enjoyed the glorious First Amendment, the freedom of speech.
It gives us the right to say what we want and express how we feel.

But on the contrary, there is such a thing called defamation of the written word, also known as libel.

Libel is the publishing of false words or statements that damage a person’s reputation.

This is where it can get sketchy for those submitting their “confessions” to these Twitter accounts.

If in fact what is posted about a student is not true and they believe it has damaged their reputation, they could be liable to claim that defamation of the written word has taken place.

Yet, many will probably never do so — but it is possible.

Just keep that in mind before you go and ruin a person’s reputation.

If not, it might actually be your reputation that gets trashed in the end.