Social Media Sabotage

Social Media Sabotage

Updated as of 3/12/19:

Social media is such a great thing.  I personally love sites like FaceBook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter and I use all of them.  They are great for re-connecting with old friends and staying in touch with family, friends, coworkers and classmates.  They can also be a very valuable tool for your business as well.

However, social media can also be a tool that sabotages you forever.

This past week lacrosse was once again in the national news and unfortunately it was not for something good.  Five female lacrosse players at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) were suspended indefinitely for posts they made using an app called Group Me.  I am not part of the UMBC staff, athletic administration, the campus itself or do I have any connections to current players on the team  - however, we are all connected through the game of lacrosse.  And in full disclosure, I personally know one of their coaches Amy Slade.

The posts made by the 5 girls were really bad.  There were threats of bodily harm to their freshman teammates and eventually lead to one post essentially saying "maybe we should kill one of them" and then another that said "maybe we should kill one of the coaches as well."

These five girls have had their pictures on national media, they have been talked about on national news including Good Morning America and ESPN.   For the rest of their lives when someone googles their name, their suspensions and their posts will come up.  It's there for everyone to see.

I am not here to judge these girls or their coaches.  As they say, there are always three sides to every story,  Yours, Theirs and something in the middle.  Right now there are a lot of people pointing fingers and people have varying opinions on what should be done.  Well one head has already rolled. UMBC had co-head coaches - Amy Slade and Tony Giro.  Tony was released by UMBC yesterday and Amy has assumed the sole Head Coaching role.

As I tried to learn more about he situation I also uncovered that one of the freshman girls who exposed the posts was being called out and threatened.  Look how many people's lives are already forever changed because of social media and these posts.  Apparently the girls have apologized, and I am sure that every single one of them would love to have their words back.  But unfortunately - the internet is forever.  It's not just the lives of the players and the coaches that are effected, but the families, the school and the administration as well.

All of  this from posts made in a group chat!

Every mistake made needs to be analyzed so that we can learn from them.   This past weekend, and several times this week I have had group conversations with our parents, our coaches and some of our players about social media.  Over the last few years we have spoken to girls about the need to be diligent in reviewing what you are going to post.  In the UMBC case these girls all thought they were in a private group chat.  When it comes to social media there is no privacy.  When two people are involved privacy goes out the window - forget about a group.

We live in a crazy world.  There are so many stories of kids losing scholarships for college because of what they posted on social media.  What you may think is innocent or funny, someone else may use against you.

How about this scenario: you and another girl are the fighting for a spot on a big D1 program.  One of your friends posted a picture of you with a red cup in your hand.  The other girls finds the picture and anonymously forwards it to the coach who is recruiting you.  That red cup may have had nothing in it, or maybe it did - however, your reputation is now at risk.  This is not a made up story - it has happened.

Therefore we want to suggest to the girls a simple formula that will help them when it comes to social media - THINK.

As the poster says - "The Internet is Forever."  We have told the girls, before you post something, besides using the THINK formula, ask yourself - "What would my grandmother think if she read this?"

Also remember it not just what you post - it's what your friends post as well where you are involved.  This is all simple advice that can keep you worry free from sabotaging  your team, your community, your school and most importantly YOU and your family.