I was interviewed yesterday by WCCO TV reporter John Lauritsen about the Rogers High School social media controversy.
In short, some Rogers High School kids created an anonymous gossip blog on which they shared their sexual exploits, one post of which alleged that a teacher at the school and student Reid Sagehorn had kissed. Sagehorn replied to a tweet about the allegation–sarcastically, he said–with the words, “Actually, yes.” Sarcasm, though, is not always readily identifiable online.
Though both the teacher and Sagehorn have been cleared of any wrongdoing, the tweet ultimately earned Sagehorn a two month suspension. The other aspect of this story is the lasting effect of search results. Though the damage to the teacher’s reputation by online content is likely limited since the offending website has been deleted, the content of which, over time, will likely fade from search results.
Unfortunately for Reid Sagehorn, however, his online presence will likely be tainted for quite some time due to the media coverage of the story. The online stories about this controversy are not going to be deleted and because they cite Sagehorn by name, will likely show up in search results whenever someone searches his name.
One ill-considered Tweet, and he will likely be explaining his poor judgement to college recruiters and potential future employers. It’s a sad story all around but should serve as a cautionary tale for young people everywhere. Here’s my interview:
Rogers High School Twitter Controversy
I discussed the Rogers High School Twitter controversy with my colleague B.L. Ochman on this segment of our Beyond Social Media Show podcast:
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