Editorial: Social media monitoring should not come as a surprise

INSTANCES of the university contacting students over their online criticisms of NTU should not come as a surprise to anyone.

While it is unclear when the university began monitoring social media mentions by undergraduates, as NTU declined to provide details, it is industry practice for corporations to keep an eye on public sentiments of their company in the media, including social platforms.

Even though students are understandably concerned over a potential invasion of privacy, fears that a certain Big Brother might be watching their every move are most likely unfounded. It is unlikely that their Twitter or Facebook accounts that are being monitored per se, as a simple web search is all it takes to sieve out mentions of NTU – regardless of the tone or nature of the content.

But it is not just NTU’s image that is at stake when students take to social media to vent their frustrations about the institution. While these posts are sometimes sources of honest, unbridled feedback, a misinformed post might backfire in its intentions and come across as insensitive or irresponsible.

Just within the first quarter of this year alone, several social media faux pas were committed by prominent Singaporeans, proving that even a celebrity or high-profile newspaper columnist is not immune to the pitfalls of the online sphere.

As more employers use social media accounts to gain a better understanding of their potential employees, it might be safest for students to be prudent about what they post online. After all, what goes on the Internet might be forgotten over time but can rarely be completely erased.