Etiquette in Greek Life?

What is fair and what isn’t fair in the real world? We claim love isn’t fair when we see the girl of our dreams walk right out of our lives with someone else. We say love is fair when we defeat the enemy and save the beautiful maiden. We say war isn’t fair when hundreds of soldiers die to protect their motherland. And we say war is fair when we attain our rights and win the battle. So who determines what is fair and what is unfair?

Fairness over the internet is a controversial topic. Many people believe that posting over the internet is one’s own right, one right’s of freedom of speech. Others believe that proper etiquette should be involved when posting on the internet because the internet is available to a vast audience including children who may see things they aren’t supposed to see over the internet.

In Greek life, the internet is vastly utilized in order to promote events, attract rushees, and keep in touch with alumni. Over the internet, they have to post certain events and pictures that attract potential new members.  Whether it may be pictures from a formal or a party, other factors do come into play and red cups, beer pong tables, and people dancing like crazy appear. Once you post something on the internet, it is permanent. Lots of people may have seen it even if the picture was only up there for 10 minutes and then you decided to take it down. Potential employers, recruiting staff, and other people see the things you do, and nothing is personal. Jenny Preece argues these assumptions in her article “Online Etiquette: From Nice to Necessary” and backs it up with some real-life situations in where she believes that proper grammar and spelling skills are necessary online techniques that everyone in the community should communicate with. She announces that we should create etiquette norms that everyone should follow on the internet and that if someone breaks the norm; it becomes their responsibility to improve their etiquette skills and use proper language. It also becomes that community’s responsibility that has allowed that person to enter their society, to teach him the proper skills as well.

Being a part of Greek life, I can say that everyone has to be careful in what they post on the internet. Nobody wants to get in trouble with any of their schools and lose their chapter. In some ways, I agree with Jenny Preece’s argument, but at the same time, what we choose to post, we know the consequences as well for putting something up on the internet.