Here’s an intriguing question:  Does the internet make people more stupid or have they always been this stupid but the internet simply showcases it for all to see?  In yet another example of how social networking sites can work to a person’s detriment, 20 year-old college junior Joshua Lipton attended a Halloween party dressed as a prisoner in a striped black & white shirt and orange jumpsuit with the word “Jail Bird” emblazoned on it.

Sounds harmless, right?  Well, it would have been had Lipton not been charged in a drunk driving accident 2 weeks earlier that seriously injured another person.  While Lipton himself didn’t post these pictures, one of the other victims of the crash found them on another Facebook user’s profile that was accessible from Lipton’s Facebook page.  The end result?  The prosecutor got a hold of the pictures and presented them to the judge at the sentencing hearing and argued that they showed a lack of remorse by Lipton.

While Lipton might have only received probation, the judge sentenced him to 2 years in prison instead.  The judge later admitted that the pictures impacted his decision.  He noted that Lipton was mocking the possibility of going to prison after a near-fatal accident.  So the judge indulged him. 

The moral of the story:  ALWAYS be careful about what you post online, especially when it comes to photographs.  A picture truly is worth a thousand words.  Nowadays, embarassment should be the least of your concerns.  They can have a real impact upon your legal rights.  Just ask Joshua Lipton.