Students must be warned about dangers of VSCO, not encouraged

March 22, 2017

Dear Harbinger Editor,

I believe the article “VSCO encourages expression: App provides outlet for risky photos” by Julia Guay from your February 2017 edition was inappropriate to publish for a high school newspaper. The article states that the app VSCO is “a useful platform for young adults to edit, post, and repost the scandalous pictures that everyone loves to see,” which I believe is an inappropriate message for a high school newspaper. Instead of promoting people to share pictures of naked bodies or illegal activities on a platform where anyone can view it, our school newspaper should warn about the dangers of posting such photos on social media. Posting a photo of underage drinking, illegal drugs, or mostly naked bodies could cause negative gossip, a loss of friendship and respect, a person to be fired from their job, someone to be stalked, or a rejection from a college. The audience for the school newspaper are young, impressionable high school students trying to form their own opinions and views on life, and I believe this article is promoting a dangerous message that could have serious repercussions for the people who listen to it.

Although there are bits throughout the article that warn about the dangers of what people post, the article’s overall positive perspective about posting scandalous photos is overwhelming compared to the attempts to convey the dangers of social media. I might be misunderstanding the article, but the message that I read in “VSCO encourages expression” is a dangerous one that promotes bad decisions and can affect a person’s future in a negative way. The theme of Guay’s article that posting scandalous and illegal actions is self-expression is not a message that belongs in a high school newspaper.

Sincerely,

Mackenzie Smith

Class of 2017