Social media Nightmares : Going viral for all the wrong reasons

In just the last days, social media postings have drastically changed the lives of a few Americans: that make us wonder if we should become paranoid or worried about everything that we post in the social media world. Should we think twice before hitting that send or upload button? A few postings have recently gone viral and created more than a few headaches for some Americans. This posting showcases those Americans and those possibly regretted postings that have created more than buzz on social media: they have impacted the author’s lives if not temporarily then permanently. Sometimes, there’s no turning back. Watch what you post.

In no specific order:

Randa Jarrar, a tenure professor at Fresno State University, right after the death of Barbara Bush tweeted:

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The professor quickly received backlash from tens of thousands of people that she finally put her twitter account on private (twitter account @randajarrar). The award-winning author’s books on Amazon quickly received countless poor ratings immediately after her tweets went viral. Fresno State President & the University immediately issued a statement via their twitter accounts and held a press conference the very next day. She quickly packed her bags and was out of the country less than 24 hours after those tweets were sent. Petitions have been made to have her fired, university alumni have threatened to halt their donations, and events have been canceled. The ACLU has stood by Jarrar’s comments based on freedom of speech. Fresno State professors aren’t new to Twitter and public backlash. Last year a history professor, Lars Maischak, received leave from the university after he tweeted:

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On the other side of the political spectrum, Roger Stone, a former advisor to President Donald Trump made an instagram post that forced him to rescind and decline an invite to attend the funeral of Barbara Bush. After the passing of Barbara Bush, Stone went to Instagram to post:

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Joy Reid, an MSNBC national correspondent, was accused of making homophobic comments after a decade old blog’s postings was made public. This created public statements by Reid and her employer to attempt to tame the drama for the MSNBC host. Reid initially claimed the posting had been hacked.

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However, after a thorough investigation was performed by tech experts no evidence was found of any cyber attack. MSNBC released a statement and is not taking any actions against the host/correspondent. However PFLAG, an LGBT group, rescinded an award they had previously given to Joy Reid.

The rapper Kanye West made a series of tweets on April 25, 2018 proclaiming his support for Donald Trump. Twitter account @kanyewest even posted a picture wearing a MAGA hat
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Media news organizations reported that the @kanyewest account quickly lost around 9 million flowers. In fact, celebrities quickly began to unfollow the alleged Presidential hopeful Kanye West. Rihanna, The Weeknd, Justin Bieber and numerous A-listers hit the unfollow button from their social media platforms. Kim Kardashian, Kanye West’s wife, took to social media and made statements after noticing the backlash from so many individuals that included the entertainment industry. Donald Trump quickly tweeted Kanye West and thanked him for his support.

Josh Allen, a national-rated former college quarterback, was just drafted into the NFL by the Buffalo Bills on 04/26/18. However, controversy of his now deleted tweets will significantly impact how he is viewed in the locker room and in the public eye. His deleted tweets, from twitter account @joshallenqb, date back from his high school years 2012/2013. Josh Allen used numerous racist slurs (including use of the n... word) and anti-Semitic tweets that just surfaced into the public eye long after they were deleted.

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These last couple of days have impacted the lives deeply of these Americans because of our rampant use and acceptance of social media. The decisions we make when posting can have a profound effect not only in our lives, but the lives of others. What we post online, whether we are cautious or not, can cause hardships, ruin careers, and make one’s biggest mistake be the moment they hit that button that made their life change forever.

Thank you, for taking the time to read about these current events. I like to be kept informed and inform about topics that can affect us one way or another. News, media, and current events are just a few topics that interest me. Feel free to follow me and or comment with suggestions of what you would like to read about. Also, feel free to point out any errors that you feel I missed or covered wrong. Part of this is learning and being able to take criticism and critique. Also, fact-check and do searches if any of these people interest you to get different opinions
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