How is the Internet Like an Elephant? It Never Forgets.

Well, it has been quite the year for Supreme Court nominees and state governors. 30-year-old+ college yearbook photos, reports of inappropriate high school behavior, and accusations of sexual assault have ruined personal reputations if not derailed promising careers…a common denominator in both; alcohol. And although these events occurred before the advent of the Internet and its ability to instantly disseminate digital evidence, that did not stop antiquated print photos from being broadcast electronically where they went viral.

Today’s high school and college students all but live online, posting everything from photos and videos of social interactions to texting spontaneously without filtering said texts for hurtful, embarrassing, or potentially incriminating data. Add to this immediate access to the World Wide Web via ever-advancing digital hard- and software and the ability to instantly post to social media platforms with a worldwide audience and one can only imagine how difficult it will become in the future to find “socially acceptable” candidates for political and civil service positions, or for anyone to pass an FBI background check when having to explain their digital fingerprints left at the scene of some past social, moral, or ethical “crime.” Although it is true that people can change, and yes, adolescents do stupid things that may not necessarily be indicative of their character in middle age, history does seem to suggest that those in the public eye are held accountable in the present for past behavior whenever it is that new evidence of such surfaces.

The confluence of instant access to the Internet along with the digital means by which to record images and post them only stands to make the risks associated with impulsively sharing on social media that much greater…in the present but especially in the future. When compromising photos of inappropriate if not illegal activity can cause embarrassment in the present and jeopardize job searches or grad school admissions in the immediate future, they can derail careers, ruin reputations and, conceivably, open one to problems like extortion in the distant future for those for whom fate smiles favorably and permitted advancement up the ladder of success. 

As risky as the 21^st Century has become for those who choose to live their lives online, alcohol, "alcohol myopia” makes this risk all the greater when added to easy access to the Internet and digital hard- and software that permits the recording and instant posting of photos, video, and audio possible. And like the elephant that never forgets, neither does the Internet.

for that matter, the use of any psychoactive substance…can up the ante dramatically. In the 90s, the problem of “drunk dialing” plagued many who would make embarrassing or inappropriate phone calls when intoxicated simply because a mobile phone with speed dial was handy. As bad as such an experience might be for the caller and/or the called, rarely did the call itself become preserved digitally to be revisited years or decades later. Currently, however, “drunk posting” has increased the potential for serious consequences, exponentially. Once digital data are online, they are “out there” forever. The phenomenon of “

Consequently, the benefit of knowing that today’s digital record of one’s online life poses no future threats due to “drunk posting” is something preventionists should add to the list of reasons for abstaining from alcohol in high-risk situations[1] and moderating use when drinking may be appropriate.

Postscript

If I have learned anything in 45-years around those who find recovery from alcohol dependence in AA it is that change is possible; to co-opt a cliché, leopards can change their spots. When this happens, it frequently occurs when individuals recognize the proverbial error of their ways and chart a different course for their lives to take. Now, this does not excuse past misconduct nor exonerate anyone from the harm they have caused for others or from accepting the consequences associated with that harm. It may, however, suggest that one’s character, years if not decades after having engaged in an indiscretion if not morally indefensible or illegal behavior, can change.

That said, there is a difference between the reprobate and someone who conducts a moral inventory, admits to past character defects, and makes amends by rededicating his or her life to service. Having been raised as a Christian I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians, 13:11 - When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child. Now that I have become a man, I have put away childish things.

Although we are all responsible for the consequences of the choices we make, whenever those consequences may surface, do we not have a responsibility to assist students in recognizing yet one more reason that high-risk and dangerous drinking is “high-risk and dangerous”?

What do you think?

To read more on “drunk posting,” click HERE.

Dr. Robert

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[1] High-risk situations include, but are not limited to: underage consumption; when driving or operating other machinery; when in new surroundings, especially with unknown people; if recovering from alcohol or other drug dependence; when using certain medications; if pregnant. For students specifically, the night before an exam, an important presentation, or athletic event.

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