Online postings never die

United States President Barack Obama preceded an address to high school students in Virginia last September with a warning about the reckless use of the Internet.

“Be careful what you post on Facebook,” a social networking Web site in the United States, he said. “Whatever you do, it will be pulled up later in your life.”

Juveniles who have impulsively posted articles, photos and video clips on the Web often have a very hard time down the road, which is exactly why Obama focused on this issue.

Korean juveniles should also heed his warning, particularly in light of several recent instances in which locals posted outrageous clips and photos online.

Some university medical students who posted disgusting pictures of corpses on the Web became the subject of criticism. The photos of human organs and brain matter extracted from corpses have recently spread like wildfire on the Internet, and the students’ universities have decided to take severe disciplinary action.

Young and immature mischief-makers have caused quite a stir throughout the region recently.

A young man equipped with swimming tubes who posted a video clip of himself running into the road and blocking a car was charged with the obstruction of traffic. A female student who is a fan of a Korean idol pop group publicized online a letter written in her own menstrual blood. She has been subject to robust criticism online and eventually offered an apology.

Such reckless behavior is considered to derive from the perverted propensity of some members of the younger generations to “just have some fun.” These juveniles have no qualms about exposing their deviant behaviors to the rest of the world, despite the fact the material will be easily accessible for a long time. Juveniles should be taught in their homes and schools that unless they correct their thinking, they will face huge difficulty in the future. The case of Park Jae-beom, the former leader of K-pop group 2PM who was forced to leave Korea because of a comment he made online long ago, provides a good lesson.

American universities and firms are known to examine articles on Facebook and other Web sites during the examination process of applicants. Those who posted inappropriate articles or photos therefore could miss out on promising job prospects. A considerable number of domestic companies are expected to use similar procedures.

The future of our children depends on “Internet literacy” and the well-managed use of the Web.