Ever since I came to college, social media has grown exponentially to an amount that I would have never really imagined. The only form of social media I possessed as a freshman in Tower B was Facebook, but everyone had Facebook. Now, not only do I still have my Facebook, but I also have a Twitter, Instagram, Tindr, SnapChat and Pinterest. The world of social media has evolved so rapidly that now we have shows like CatFish, and even fake celebrity Twitter accounts. Identities are stolen or portrayed differently and photos of individuals are posted daily on social media sites without their actual consent. From what I’ve heard, many schools have the twitter handle @(enter school’s name)MakeOuts, and that includes Pitt. Aside from the humor aspect, what does this account really do to people’s lives? Everyone goes out, most people drink, and with alcohol in your system attraction to the opposite sex is at an all-time high; and sometimes partygoers do things they probably will regret. Sometimes they do things they don’t want other people seeing, let alone remembering, and then posted publicly to a social media site the next day or even that night.
College is a time to break loose and do things you wouldn’t do after your four years of being here, living a carefree and drama free life. This twitter account isn’t making this lifestyle very easy or accessible. Most of what is on the account can be looked and laughed at with humor but there are numerous instances where it has ruined relationships, and I don’t see it slowing down. People make mistakes, yes, but back when there weren’t cameras following us around at night, we could explain these mistakes. We could do this privately, but nothing is private with @PittMakeOuts. Relationships can end, friendships can end, and not to mention the companies that will one day be able to view the photographs that are streamed through this account Thursdays-Saturdays will surely find out.
Aside from the breaking of relationships, it may embarrass people. It is hard not to think that one person’s embarrassment comes along with another person’s laughter, but it still really sucks when you see yourself on there or a friend you could be embarrassed for. No matter what anyone says, this account is here to stay. It is not only the creators of the account that take the photos; it has expanded to any student being able to become a self-proclaimed photographer. It has expanded so far that this university knows it exists and when you see two people making out, whether you know them or not, you are inclined to snap a photo. But no one knows others’ situations. Photographs of girls straddling guys, thongs hanging out, and more demonstrate how this account may be overstepping boundaries just a little bit. But how far is too far? This account makes this university smaller. Whether that is a good thing or a bad thing, I’m not sure. One thing for sure is that this account brings back the high school days. Different groups of friends know everything about other groups of friends, you gossip, you mingle, and you talk. But wasn’t college a place where we were all supposed to get away from that? I will admit I get a good laugh every weekend from @PittMakeOuts; but when we really see how this account is affecting the lives of others behind closed doors, away from the internet, aside from any form of social media, we may not be laughing anymore… especially if it happens to you.