Snapchat added a great feature in August of 2022 to the platform. In this feature, people can join shared Snapchat stories with people from shared communities, specifically schools and universities. These stories can be posted on by anyone within the community. While this feature is fantastic for bringing together students in their respective schools, spreading information schoolwide, and helping students with shared interests find each other, these stories can also cause a lot of trouble for students as well. Due to some recent drama regarding individuals (specifically named Mike) being a little too comfortable sharing things to the masses, let’s chat a bit about some things you should look out for when viewing and posting on these shared stories.
Be Careful What You Share
While it can seem harmless to post freely on a story with people who are in your age group and attend the same school you do, you should still avoid posting things on the story that you wouldn’t want EVERYONE to see. Whether that be a video of you doing something illegal to spamming the story with posts that aren’t irrelevant to the rest of your classmates, be wary that even private stories aren’t always so private. Most importantly, be conscious of the consequences that may follow if the university is brought to attention about something posted that goes against the OHIO Student Code of Conduct. Make wise choices, Bobbies!
Stranger Danger
Yes, university Snapchat stories can be a great way to get to know people in your class and connect with people who have shared interests and experiences! However, just because someone goes to school with you does not always mean they have your best interests in mind. Always be extra careful when chatting with, and especially meeting up with, people that you don’t know.
Being Respectful
One of the main values of being a Bobcat is making respect visible. While most of us do an excellent job of applying this in real life, this still needs to be a priority online! We would never want to make somebody feel bad or embarrass someone, especially on a class-wide story that everyone will see. Avoid posting mean, demeaning, disrespectful, and unkind things about other people on the campus stories.
Picking Your Battles
People post crazy stuff on campus stories. All. The. Time. Though sometimes it may be difficult to not retaliate in response to something you don’t agree with, be careful which battles you choose to fight and in what manner. Ohio University is all for people standing up for what they think is right, but if you see something you dislike, try to handle it in a graceful way rather than getting ahead of yourself, posting something out of impulse, and potentially creating an embarrassing or even unsafe situation for yourself, your peers, and the university.
Trust Your Gut
Something that I believe to be overwhelmingly important is trusting your gut! If you feel like something just isn’t right about someone or something that you saw, speak up! Often, your gut is right, and you are doing yourself and the people around you a favor by speaking out. Other times, it may be wrong. But you lose nothing by looking out for yourself and fellow students.
Community stories can be great for helping groups of people come together, especially Bobcats! Below, I have listed resources one can access if they ever view something online they believe might be dangerous or inappropriate. I hope that all of you are more conscious about what you post and how you view things on campus stories.
Resources
OUPD: (740) 593-1911
Athens PD: (740) 593-6606