Has "Military Social Media Idiots" changed the behavior and discipline of you or your Soldiers/Sailors/Airmen/Marines/Coasties?

2014-03-12T02:23:08-04:00

The UCMJ is a criminal code. A central theory of criminal law is that it should have a deterrent effect. However, deterrence requires awareness, and we are often not aware of the criminal sanctions imposed on uniformed offenders, except for the most highly publicized cases (Nidal Hassan, Lynndie England, etc.). With the recent spate of high-brass misconduct and sex scandals, can we expect their punishments to be highly publicized? Doubtful. Will that lead to an increase in, or lack of deterrence against, more junior Service-members behaving similarly? Almost without a doubt.

So, do groups like "Military Social Media Idiots" serve as a gap-filler, or are they creating more problems than they're worth?

Response by SSG Zachery Mitchell made Mar 12 at 2014 2:46 AM

2014-03-12T02:46:23-04:00

The group "Military Social Media Idiots" grew like the black plague. I wouldn't say that it is creating more problems, however I wouldn't quite say they are helping solve a problem either.

They are bringing a lot more attention to the "idiots" that are posting stuff on social media websites that should probably not be posted. My concern with a group like this is, yes it's attracting a lot of attention, but what kind of attention is it really attracting? Is it really helping service members realize some stuff they post is wrong? Is it really changing how some people use social media? I don't know. That has yet to be seen I think.

The largest concern though is it's an open group and most of the stuff they post is public so it could very easily be attracting negative attention just as much as the "idiots" that are posting their pictures and attracting negative attention. Just my $.02

Response by SGM Matthew Quick made Mar 12 at 2014 10:31 AM

2014-03-12T10:31:31-04:00

No...it's just fanning the flames.

Leaders need to get SERIOUS about service members' social media usage...until an effective education plan is implemented (proper use while IN uniform) and serious punishment is handed out (deterrence), service members may simply enjoy their '15-minutes of fame'.

Response by SGT Sarah Maxwell made Mar 12 at 2014 10:52 AM

2014-03-12T10:52:18-04:00

I think the whole issue is crazy, when I was a young Soldier just joined the Army all the way up to now I've known that what I do on and off duty can affect how our organization as a whole is viewed. "Military Social Media Idiots" are actually a part of a growing problem of airing our dirty laundry, so to speak. Instead of taking a picture and blasting it out to the world, taking the time to contact the soldier (or use Outlook/ AKO) to find out where they are and what their unit is in order to inform their higher leadership is what I would consider more effective and less damaging to the Army's appearance.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 24 at 2014 1:01 PM

2014-03-24T13:01:11-04:00

Although they said the site would be shut down, they are still at it. The latest is a Coast Guard CPO making relatively benign comments about Alaskan natives. Nevertheless, his tone is derogatory and may bring strict administrative and/or UCMJ punishments down on him. http://www.stripes.com/news/coast-guard/coast-guardsman-under-scrutiny-for-facebook-post-1.274001

Coast Guardsman under scrutiny for Facebook post

Petty Officer Brandon Upchurch was among people on the Facebook site who were sharing opinions about Alaska Native groups closing their private land to public use.

Response by Maj Walter Kilar made May 10 at 2014 11:59 AM

2014-05-10T11:59:47-04:00

These kind of topics keep popping up in different forms. Social media groups are not the problem, nor are social media groups that point out problems. These are just symptoms of the problem! The problem with the social media is not the media--it is the social part. The people we recruit grow up with social media, but those of us old veterans have no idea how to train these new folks how to balance the traditions and culture of the military with the societal norms of the new generation. We all faced this. At one time we were the young pups entering the military, and we were trained by the veterans to respect the traditions and culture of the military, even as the military was undergoing various cycles of social experimentation. If all of us "old fogies" would band together as our old fogies did before us and preserve the traditions and culture of the military, we could absorb the culture of the new generation and teach them the right balance.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 28 at 2014 3:58 AM

2014-08-28T03:58:19-04:00

It hasn't changed the attitudes of the Military personnel. It is just a means to bring light to the way today's service members are presenting themselves.

*prepares soap box*

I know I am still a baby in the grand scheme of things. Maybe my upbringing, coupled with my wife (a prior service member and an Army brat), has a lot to do with how I carry myself, present myself, and reflect on my profession. I was raised in a military that was proud. A representation of something greater than that of one person. However, I do not see that in the Soldiers of the "new Army." There is little respect out there, and it is up to us as the leaders to be the proverbial RoundUp and get in the weeds. Instill in the younger generation the aforementioned pride.

BE the example.
KNOW how to get through to the fresh faces in the ranks.
DO what you are charged to do and fix the problem.