In light of the recent controversy and media attention surrounding the distribution of a sex tape at Radnor High School, Scholium has decided to address the more significant role that technology now plays in our private and public lives.
To begin, it is essential to understand the reasoning, or lack thereof, behind the Radnor students’ decision-making. The two students recorded the video for private viewing; there was no intent for this video to reach the public sphere. However, once the video was recorded, the couple took a risk. The video rested in the memory of a phone, and it consequently took little effort for another student to illegally spread the video via MMS.
With the creation of social media websites including MySpace, Facebook, Twitter, and Tumblr, it has become alarmingly easy for people to share personal information with the click of a button. Just as the students’ private video was sent to others instantaneously, pictures can be uploaded to websites within seconds. Degrading comments can be posted without second thought. And while the original intent of these media sharing sites was to promote communication on the technological level, their use has allowed questionable content to surface online.
Furthermore, there is no permanently effective way of removing undesirable content from the internet. To compensate, internet users must consider the potential ramifications of posting certain material online. A damaging email remains infinitely in cyberspace even after it is “permanently deleted.”
In regard to students of the Episcopal Academy, it would be imprudent to ignore the effects that online material has had on disciplinary issues. Multimedia sharing has increased culpability. Photos posted online, specifically on Facebook, depicting underage drinking have played significant roles in disciplinary action taken against students. Careless image uploading to Facebook places students at risk for disciplinary action. The Episcopal Academy’s administration will discipline students if strong evidence suggests they have been drinking off campus.
While the severity of a sex tape certainly does not equate to photos of alcohol consumption, both uses of technology have resulted in unfavorable situations for teenage students.
What the two students at Radnor now face is lamentable, but their predicament was preventable. Tact and mindfulness could have prevented media spotlight and public humiliation. It is with this scenario in mind that technology users must be wary of their actions. With the advancement of technology, the line dividing our public and private lives draws thinner and thinner.

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