As technology has become increasingly more significant to society, it has become easier for one to leave their mark on the world. The internet has provided a tumultuous amount of opportunities — good and bad — since it became prevalent in everyday life. Being that the internet is open to everyone, it has also brought racism and discrimination to a new level. 

Technology has given individuals a chance to start careers, provide learning opportunities, and expand their social circle. However, the internet has also become a place of hatred, which can be detrimental to users’ mental health and well being.

The internet is a free range community, making it easy for people to post whatever they want. This can cause mass spreads of misinformation, leading to harmful outcomes for users and digital footprints which can leave a negative impact on one’s life. 

Anything that is posted on social media can permanently stay on the internet. Even if the information is deleted, someone could have screenshoted it and the post can always resurface. 

The Pew Research Center found that ​​86% of U.S. citizens have attempted to somehow remove or decrease their digital footprint online. Many users try to reduce their digital footprints due to the imminent risk of their information being spread and taken out of context.

Polarized politics and defamation have also been known to storm different social media platforms such as Instagram, Snapchat, and especially Twitter. Different groups of people use these platforms to argue their political opinions, creating a negative space for users to partake in.

“The internet can be a really scary place sometimes. It gives off overall bad energy that I don’t want to be a part of,” said sophomore Alex Kinsey of Avon.

The resurfacing of social media posts have continuously found ways to haunt people’s lives. Politically incorrect statements that are posted online can be used against users later on in life, which can be particularly damaging to the fate of their futures.

Negative digital footprints impact getting into colleges and can influence job offers. Even certain organizations have been known to reject people with negative digital footprints. College Admissions officers in particular use applicants’ social media presence to determine whether they would be a good fit for the school. 

An Admissions Committee member on College Raptor said, “What students post on social media can greatly affect not only acceptance odds, but they can get acceptances revoked if unsuitable and offensive material is found.”

An infamous example of this situation is what had occurred with a group of 10 students in the class of 2021. They were accepted into Harvard, and soon had their acceptances revoked after their slanderous Facebook page was found which involved sexually explicit memes and messages that targeted certain minority groups.

Due to the negative impacts digital footprints can have, anyone active on social media accounts  have to be reminded to be careful of what they post online.

“I think it’s scary that anything that I put on the internet could stay there forever,” said sophomore Lilly Fischer of Rumson. “My friends and I try to be careful with what we post online because we know it could haunt us in the future.”