Sharing sexually explicit or racially insensitive memes has resulted in acceptance letters to at least 10 incoming students being rescinded by Harvard University‚ according to its campus newspaper.
In December of last year‚ members of the Harvard Class of 2021 started a meme group on Facebook. Some members of the group wanted to start a private‚ “dark” group message chat for more offensive memes. People who wanted in had to post provocative memes in the original group to gain acceptance.
For a time‚ the page was called “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens”.
Emma Sadleir‚ a social media lawyer based in Johannesburg‚ said the university acted well within its right to revoke acceptance offers to the students.
“There is huge discretion from the admissions officer‚” she said. “You need to watch over your online CV. When I Google you‚ if you are a drug taker‚ it is as real as your real-world CV.”
According to Sadleir‚ in South Africa the laws of expression are stricter‚ so a similar incident could result in suspensions or acceptance revocations. She said in South Africa‚ “we see it most in the scholarship realm. Before you get a scholarship they are going to check you out online.”
On Tuesday‚ a pupil from Pietermaritzburg Girls' High School was suspended after a racist rant shared on social media went viral.
There are three big lessons to take away from the incident‚ according to Sheena Kretzmer‚ managing director of The Social Local‚ a social media consultancy.
“Be accountable for what you say‚ be sure that what you’re saying on social media is not something you would regret later‚ and never trust that any private forums stay private. Screenshot technology has changed privacy as we knew it‚” she said in an email.
While many users operate under the guise of privacy or anonymity online‚ Kretzmer said online users need to be careful what they share online‚ regardless of if a group is private or not.
“Private groups should not convey privacy protections‚” she said. Anything can be screenshot and shared outside of private groups. Bottom line: If you're not happy with it being posted about in the media‚ don't post it at all.”
Sadleir also said in today’s online age‚ the onus is on universities to make sure they check student’s online presence: “Universities are acting negatively if they don’t check out the students online.”
-TMG Digital/TimesLIVE
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