Spilling the Tea on Social Media at Hopkins

With students flocking to Instagram the second anything remotely interesting happens, more and more Hopkins-affiliated Instagram pages are being created. Posts on these accounts range from funny candids of their friends to informational posts about Hopkins events. Recently, gossip pages have grown in popularity within the Hopkins community, with one freshman-run account gaining the school’s attention. This raises the question: do Hopkins administrators have the right to restrict students' online activity? If so, what are the limitations of this power?

Although certain Instagram pages may alter the narrative of Hopkins and its values, they are undeniably a part of students’ rights to freedom of speech. Public schools cannot legally monitor or restrict their students' Instagram pages simply because of the content, as it falls under the protection of free speech. The First Amendment safeguards students' rights to express themselves even outside school, as long as it doesn’t cause substantial disruption to the school environment, as the court case Tinker v. Des Moines decided in 1969. However, if a student’s social media activity leads to bullying, harassment, or other harmful behavior that impacts the school, the school can intervene. Hopkins’ status as a private school, however, changes the rules of what powers the administration can and cannot exert over its students, as it is run independently. Whether or not this means that the school should restrict online activity is still a matter of debate.

Students should avoid using Hopkins School’s name or logo in these Instagram accounts, especially when the content is negative or controversial. While some may try to distance themselves by adding disclaimers like "not affiliated with Hopkins," this doesn't fully prevent the school’s reputation from being linked to content that it deems inappropriate or harmful. Instead, students should refrain from using the school's name or logo entirely if they intend to post anything that could reflect poorly on the school. This ensures the community maintains a positive image and respects the distinction between personal expression and institutional association.

Everyone has a different idea of what is and isn’t appropriate to post on social media. Ultimately it’s up to Hopkins to decide what they’d like the school’s image to be associated with and it’s students’ responsibility to ensure the content they post adheres to Hopkins standards. People should have the liberty to post what they want, as long as they have the consent of any individuals in their post. Students not only need to determine for themselves what’s appropriate for them to post, but they also have to understand that as a Hopkins student, they reflect the values of the school. 

Some students are more sensitive to certain topics, so certain social media accounts have the potential to initiate unnecessary drama within the student body. While accounts like @hop_almost_friday are centered on poking fun student life in a more general way, gossip pages tend to single out individuals. No matter what the content of these posts may be, their targeted nature is inherently harmful. If consent is given to post information or rumors about a student, the post should not be considered as malicious or violating the student’s privacy. However, posting things about a student without their knowledge or permission will almost always be negatively received and construed as cyberbullying.

Overall the question of what is acceptable for students to post on social media is up to the school. By choosing to be a part of the school community, we all agree to abide by Hopkins’s rules. However, a distinction should be made between what is disruptive to the school narrative and what is a basic expression of free speech. As members of the Hopkins community, we should all work to create an environment that allows everyone to express themselves while being considerate of others.