Watching Out for Big Brother... And Not THAT Big Brother

George Orwell's novel 1984 was about a totalitarian future society in which Big Brother, the government,watches every thing its citizens do. Although there are current political issues that claim a true Big Brother-like government, I see another Big Brother emerging in social media. Big Brother could have a direct impact on your future professional career and overall reputation.

Although other platforms may have a Big Brother like presence, I will focus on Twitter because that is where I see the most activity of him. So who am I claiming to be Big Brother? A few would be @UGAMakeouts and  @GSUPassOut. These are twitter handles that focus solely on catching drunk people making out downtown and passing out drunk. Both are fueled by user submitted content.

Whats the problem? If you are able to make it onto one of these pages, then you have a problem. Your reputation is on the line. Those pages are made public for all to see so family, friends, and future employers can all enjoy in your embarrassment. And the number of retweets makes the reach of the photos grow exponentially
Many claim that this is invasion of privacy but they fail to realize all the pictures are user submitted and in public places for all to see. The only way to prevent your photo from making its way onto one of these pages is to be aware that they exist. By knowing you could end up on @UGAMakeouts for making out with a drunk person could prevent you from doing it. There really is not much you could do beyond that. Just know Big Brother is watching.