The Internet doesn’t forget. Too often, people ignore this when expressing opinions on the web. Tweets or Facebook posts are often made casually, but posts on social media sites are much more on-the-record than real-life conversations. Anything posted online can be traced back to its source, and consequences for virtual speech are very real.

Social media sites have become the place where students vent anger or frustration about uncomfortable situations, usually with humor. But these jokes, no matter how funny they may seem at the time, will remain on the Internet for much longer than the minute of thought put into the joke.

Tweets are primarily intended for entertainment. But the same joke that has one person busting a gut can leave someone else cringing, making them even more uncomfortable.

That doesn’t mean students shouldn’t express their opinions. But there are healthy, appropriate ways to vent. Making broad, one-way statements to unknown numbers of strangers isn’t one of them. Upper School counselor Susanna Short recommends caution when using social media. “Social media is so public. Just because someone has a certain relationship with a friend that may involve sarcasm does not mean that it is going to have a positive impact on others who read the post or tweet,” Short said.

Public forums like Twitter and Facebook should be treated differently from casual conversations. The audience on Facebook or Twitter is infinite. Once a tweet or post goes up, it can be retweeted and shared without the consent of the original poster, and it will always have their name on it.

It’s important to express ourselves when we have something to say, but it’s also important that we say it in the appropriate settings. Make thinking about long-term consequences a top priority when using social media. Take a minute to think of the audience and how something will come across days or weeks later, and pause before you post.