Alcohol in the Age of Social Media

A decade ago, getting drunk and doing something you regretted while drunk would probably live on in a few photos and skewed stories from people who witnessed it. Nowadays it takes half a second for someone to pull out their smart phone to snap photos, record audio or take video and post it online. Many times, we self-incrimated by Facebooking, Tweeting, or YouTubing while intoxicated.

Alcohol in the age of social media has truly made it’s mark and the social implications can be very serious. Using Facebook while drunk has received it’s own acronym – PUI, which stands for posting under the influence. Drunk Facebook posts and the use of social media while under the influence has become so common and in some cases so damaging that there is even software that exists today that tests your sobriety before letting you on your laptop to Tweet or post a status.

Alcohol in the age of social media has caused the ending of relationships, the loss of jobs, and in some cases even the imprisonment of one Australian teen who admitted that he was intoxicated while driving on Facebook and then got arrested. PUI or is kind of like drunk dialing but worse.

Drinking and using social media can ruin your reputation for good. Once you post something on the Internet it’s practically there FOREVER. Alcohol in the age of social media is a fast and sure way to damage your reputation. Getting kicked out of a bar or making a drunk dial every now and then could be recovered from but with social media it is different. There are videos of drunk girls on YouTube that can’t be taken down by the girls themselves. People can take screenshots of any pictures or statuses you accidentally post and even if you try to delete them someone has a copy of them.

This isn’t even that bad in comparison to what could happen when the company you work for catches wind of what you did that weekend you don’t remember due to the Internet. That accidental status about your boss being jerk? Even if you delete it someone could have already sent a picture of it to your boss and you could actually lose your job. Mixing intoxication with social media can truly ruin someone’s reputation. The problem is that it’s so easy to access social media from wherever you are, especially if you have a smart phone. Unfortunately everyone nowadays has a camera ready on their phone so even if you don’t take the picture someone else can and post it. Then you have no control on whether or not it comes up or down. This can cause high school girls and boys to get suspended, expelled, or walk into a Monday morning of school with people whispering behind their backs. We all know that bullying is a serious offense to anothers emotional, mental and physical well being. There have been many instances where school-aged children have been videotaped smoking, drinking, being assaulted or attacked and uploaded online. In a current ongoing case  two high school football players have been charged with raping and kidnapping a 16 year-old girl (who was unconscious apparently from being drugged according to witnesses), and the ordeal was shared amongst other students on Facebook and Twitter. That is just terrible, ain’t it?

It can affect your reputation in so many ways. So if you are going to be drinking do your best and resist the urge to get on the Internet because alcohol and the age of social media do not mix in the least bit. It’s also not a good idea to let your friends use their social media accounts when they’re under the influence. It has led to more embarrassing moments than it has to good ones.

So think before you post, don’t let your friends post, and if you are going to be taking pictures be very careful of who snaps pictures or videos of you. We now live in a Social Media age and we need to be more conscious of our actions.

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