Social Media

Dad2020

5-Year Member
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Aug 5, 2015
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DS was told that the detailers will go through his social media accounts and anything he has posted on there that looks like he thinks highly of himself or braggadocious will be used against him. He is "friends" with several people he met at the academy during summer seminar and his cvw and so he has already let the Trojan horse inside the city walls. Generally his social media is pretty neutral, and his attitude is "it's part of the plebe year game. It's fine". I told him to shut down the accounts or lock them down right and don't give them ammo. Is he right? He thinks it's hilarious that I'm concerned.
 
Detailers will look mostly to just see who they are getting. Mostly to put a face with name. Unless they have posted something stupid they will be totally fine. The normal stuff is fine, it's the 'today I begin my SEAL training' or 'I will destroy my Detailers' kind of things that will make life not fun for them. The normal stuff is totally fine.
 
My grandson's detailer found silly photos (crazy faces, silly hats etc) from vacations and family outings on Facebook and printed them out to show them to the entire company. My DGS thought it was funny and took it well, but I imagine some would prefer not to be at the center of any attention.
 
He was at a football game and wanted a picture with Supe and Dant, he is supremely impressed by both, and was afraid to post the pics for fear of getting hassled later. All he talked about on the ride home from the game was how do they get to be such great people? How can I be like them? I told him to look up their biographies and try to follow the path they travelled. It may work, it might not. Perfect illustration of why leading by example is so important. It makes me very pleased to turn my son over to people, who in very short order, have become his heroes.
 
It's one of the reasons I went to USNA and makes the place so special. The quality of people is simply amazing. My friends from USNA are great humans first and foremost. They have done amazing things personally and professionally. Post the picture if wants to. I think it's a matter of what he says on the post. Detailers will find something else to poke at him about. It's their job to push him and see if he breaks. We made sure every single Plebe was tested individually and as a group Plebe Summer. Even the priors and prep kids were too. I will admit I left the Navy SEAL alone (yes I had one in my platoon) Plebe Summer as a detailer.
 
My grandson's detailer found silly photos (crazy faces, silly hats etc) from vacations and family outings on Facebook and printed them out to show them to the entire company. My DGS thought it was funny and took it well, but I imagine some would prefer not to be at the center of any attention.
They will be sorely disappointed in his selection of photos then. He is definitely the "avoid attention" type, and his social media reflects it.
 
This is definitely an opportunity for plebes-to-be (and swabs, doolies, rats, & knobs) to consider just how pervasive social media are, and the potential for consequences that used to be unthinkable.

Most recently, in Mankato, MN, a man lost his job with Archer Daniels Midland after the racist PMs he sent to a Black Lives Matter account were spread widely on Facebook. For emphasis: he sent private messages.

Others have lost their jobs as well, although I am not aware of military leaders who've been disciplined. (Maybe you guys are all so much better at self-restraint!)

My point is not to start a debate about whether any individual case is right or not (please don't; they really have been done to death). Young people have really grown up with this new phenomenon of instant and wide access to so many opinions and facts and pieces of information. You must also be aware of the possible unintended, and increasingly uncontrollable consequences for what used to be inocuous, knockoff comments made on FB, Twitter, & Pinterest. Even Snapchat is capture-able now, and don't even assume you're anonymous on YikYak, either, because you're not. I'm willing to bet 99.5% of these people are okay people who work pretty hard, go to school and pay their taxes, try to support their families, and made one really bad choice that they'll be explaining for a long time to future employers and landlords. Just don't be That Guy. If there's a way for someone who doesn't like you or one of your opinions or something you support to mis-interpret, it's not a matter of whether that will happen but when.
 
All social media should be made private. It should especially be 'private' for teenagers.

Their first IT class at USNA will be cyber security.

Believe it or not - Plebes will immediately become targets for foreign espionage by entering USNA.

Most military officers especially senior officers do not use social media
 
Also - when you raise your right hand and take the oath of office on 6/30/2016, your conduct is now subject to USNA's regulations and more comprehensively the Uniform Code of Military Justice (which many would describe as archaic)

In short, those regulations mean you are giving up some of what non military citizens refer to as Constitutional rights.

Your job is to protect those rights for others.

If you have anything on social media even mildly suggesting you behave and act foolishly - delete the account. If you still want one after that - start a new one and ask yourself if the Commandant would approve.

It's a lot like the new tattoo policy. You can have one but it's up to the 'old guard' to determine if it is appropriate and the 'old guard' isn't always 'hip' with the new generation.
 
Cerberi what are you basing this off of?
A Masters degree in IT Security and Forensic Accounting, DOD and FBI security briefings and training and being personally familiar with servicemen and women who ended up in trouble because of their social media activities.
 
I was in the Coast Guard as we were launching the service's official social media program. I think you're overstating the "people getting in trouble" aspect of this.

General good practice, don't talk about work stuff on social media (especially when it comes to operational security).

I was entering the fleet as social media really picked up, and for a time our folks had to be reminded "pulling into GTMO today" was not the kind of thing they should be posting on their Facebook accounts.

There are, of course, official accounts for many commands, including countless four star admirals and generals. I don't think the divide is as much based on the rank as when social media really kicked off.

Service members will receive briefings, but if FBI and CIA and NSA employees have social media accounts (and some do), I'm not sure how concerned we should be about the targeting of midshipmen accounts….. unless we don't want calculus assignments to be disclosed to the North Koreans….
 
May I ask - what exactly are detailers? And it sounds like maybe I shouldn't tag my DD in "Throwback Thursday" pics of her crying with Santa as a toddler anymore, haha ;)
 
May I ask - what exactly are detailers? And it sounds like maybe I shouldn't tag my DD in "Throwback Thursday" pics of her crying with Santa as a toddler anymore, haha ;)

Upperclassmen assigned to train and indoctrinate plebes in a traditionally "friendly and hospitable" manner. :rolleyes:
 
Look upperclass will find anything to give Plebes a hard time Plebe Summer. Just don't post stupid stuff and once you get to USNA follow social media policy. I was a Marine and worked for the Marine Corps for nearly 2 decades. Nearly everyone to include the most senior officers have social media, usually in two capacities... Official stuff and their own personal pages. Don't post where you are deploying or coming into port, disclose anything you shouldn't and follow the rules, don't post your email, phone and home address (not like it's hard to find those things). The DoD will provide guidance if something needs to change.
 
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