An anxious high school senior posted in the Rutgers Class of 2017 Facebook group,"RUTGERS CLASS OF 2017 #SWAG #YOLO #SWERVE. I BET MIT IS REALLY REGRETTING THEIR DECISION NOW!!!! :)."
This senior's Facebook post now lives on "Accepted! 2017," and there are over 40 notes ridiculing it.
Another apprehensive student accepted to Trinity College posted in the school's respective group, "I really hope there are no democrats in this group." This is also up on "Accepted! 2017" with over 50 notes.
It's likely these students have no idea that they are being mocked by peers across our nation.
"Accepted! 2017" is a recently-created blog "cataloging the crazy sh** people say in college admissions Facebook groups." It has risen in popularity in recent weeks, and it's likely that this explosion of followers will continue as more admissions decisions are released. However, there are a number of serious faults to this witty and entertaining website. We must consider the "what ifs" involved.
What if somebody who knows the student being made fun of discovers the post on "Accepted! 2017"? The hilarious content of "Accepted! 2017" is raw blackmail material. What better way to insult somebody than to publicize an Internet "satire" that actually directly attacks them?
While many of you may sit here and think: "It's funny, so why does it matter?" Take a moment and think about it. Would you want the Internet to know that you wrote the potentially embarrassing posts?
Imagine you're browsing the site. As you sit there scrolling through the posts, stopping to chuckle every once in a while, how would you feel if you came to a sudden, startled stop? You reread the post frantically and realize you have entered the Internet hall of shame, forever a part of "Accepted! 2017."
How would it feel to see the anonymous person spearheading this project write something snarky about you -- shared with the class of students you would be spending the next four years with?
We must consider the privacy issues involved with broadcasting these remarks to any person who happens to click on this website.
Creating a site of this nature is doing nothing less than asking for trouble.
It's time for us to step away from the bubble we have entered -- one where making fun of others is commonplace and considered a form of entertainment.
We must consider the views of others. We must consider the fact that something we may think is weird could be another person's greatest source of pleasure. We must consider the fact that we don't know these people. We need to be sensitive to the fact that they are people just like us.
In our quest for enjoyment, we could potentially cause harm to others.
Not so funny anymore.