Greece, N.Y. - Nicholas Robare, 18, is accused of posting a harassing video on the Facebook page of a friend’s ex-boyfriend.
In the video expletives, racial slurs and threats are heard, and a burning hooded sweatshirt is seen.
“They're talking to people they know,” said Michael Johansson, a lecturer at RIT, when asked about social media posts in general. “[People] that are paying attention to them, but they're also talking to a much larger population.”
Johansson explained when something is posted on a social network it’s not as private as one might hope.
“Anything they [users] say can and often is shared with other people, which can be an audience of a group or a few thousand, if not bigger,” said Johansson.
In the Greece case the audience expanded after the video was posted. It included the Greece Police Department.
“There are threats of violence in the video that was sent to the victim,” said Captain Pat Phelan with the Greece Police Department. “That violates the statute.”
It lead to the arrest of Robare, who if found guilty will have to live with legal consequences.
But all those involved will have to live with the lasting effects of a video like this.
“Things do live forever on the internet,” explained Johansson.
