Advertising drinking online is a slippery slope
Tilt and Facebook can be great ways to advertise and collect funds for events, but students should be careful as the use of these platforms for organizing and charging for parties becomes increasingly popular.
Let’s be honest: students party and this isn’t going to change anytime soon. But what most don’t realize is that there can be repercussions for using social media as a means to relay party details.
Last week, a St. Patrick’s Day keg party to be held on Earl Street was shut down a day early by Kingston Police. The event was advertised through Facebook and Tilt was used to collect funds, leading to Kingston Police being able to find out what the party was, who was hosting it and other details.
Seventeen kegs and taps were seized from the residence, six people are being investigated and Liquor License Act charges are pending. Kingston Police explained that this was a pre-emptive measure to combat illegal behaviour and drinking.
I see students use Tilt all the time for collecting funds for events such as this one, without thinking of who has access to this information. But very little that’s posted online is private.
Although both Facebook and Tilt are great tools for events, they’re public and therefore accessible to anyone, something that can create problems when students are using them irresponsibly.
Although Tilt can be used for many purposes, students often rely on it to collect money for parties.
Generally, students use Facebook to relay party information, then provide a Tilt link for partygoers to pay online in advance. They then have a list of people who have paid and can check names at the door.
We’re drawn to anything that digitizes otherwise tedious tasks, but many don’t understand how one click can affect their whole life.
Kingston Police does their due diligence when it comes to educating students on drinking and partying. Now students must take the reins and be accountable for their actions.
