In today’s digital age, anything you post online can be found and traced back to you. This applies not only to individuals but also to institutions, including colleges. Admissions offices sometimes review an applicant’s social media to spot potential red flags.

They typically focus on public accounts on platforms like TikTok or Instagram. Don’t worry, they aren’t looking at bad selfies or harmless posts. Instead, they pay attention to things like harassment, bullying, hate speech, illegal drug use, or evidence of academic dishonesty. These are the kinds of digital footprints that can impact a student’s college opportunities.

For example, in 2020, someone found and shared an image of three teens from Saint Francis High School in 2017 wearing blackface. The high school expelled the three students less than 24 hours later, and it seemed fair; a racist group of students received consequences for their actions.

However, this information turned out to be false. One of the boys, who was 14 at the time, had been suffering from extreme acne, and he and his friends wore a dark green face mask in order to show solidarity with their friend during a sleepover. This photo resurfaced years later and damaged the students’ academic careers.

Now, while this instance turned out to be nothing serious, many people online say things they would never say in real life. “Everyday users on the Internet … say and do things in cyberspace that they wouldn’t ordinarily say and do in the face‑to‑face world.” Says John Suler, a professor of psychology.

“Knowing that everything online leaves a digital footprint definitely makes me act more carefully,” says Josiah Cruz, a Wilsonville Junior. “I think twice before posting anything that could be misunderstood or taken the wrong way, because once it’s posted, it’s permanent.”

People are now seeing the consequences of their actions online, and this might help to limit the amount of obscene behavior seen across the internet. Even though we should strive to be supportive of others regardless of whether there are consequences, it is good to know there is a way to find those who spread hate online.