Who is the X-man?
Who is the X-man?
  • Park Jong-min (EE 15)
  • 승인 2017.02.10 19:42
  • 댓글 0
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You may recall the X-men movie series. In my column, “X-man” denotes someone who hides his or her identity. This word is derived from a TV show focused on finding a person who hides his identity. Nowadays, X-men are becoming an issue. When freshmen are just starting university, they often enter an online group chatting room. In this room, some seniors hide their identities and pretend to be freshmen. This fake trick has become an issue because it makes some freshmen feel uncomfortable. Some say they felt betrayed. They were deceived by the X-men and treated them like the rest of the freshmen. However, after they revealed their identities, it made the freshmen feel embarrassed. Some universities’ X-men even make freshmen slander other seniors.
Seniors defend X-men, explaining they serve important functions. They say that X-men make the mood friendlier and prevent potential incidents. I admit there may be some merits of X-men, but if some freshmen feel unpleasant because of them, we should stop this fake trick. I think this culture has more disadvantages than advantages. X-men can break the ice of group messenger, but they also promote distrust among the group. It reduces the opportunity to make true friendships with other freshmen.
This issue is inherent in our society where overusing one’s power makes many troubles.  We use our position as a senior to trick freshmen. It does not have big difference between other problems that have become a huge social issue such as Choi Sun-sil Incident. Without realizing it, we do the same behavior that has been criticized in our society. Some words spat without thought by X-men make freshmen uncomfortable, because at the beginning of the term, freshmen likely think a senior’s comments are bossy.
Nowadays social networks play a big part in our lives. Not just in the real world, but also in social networks, our behavior can influence other people. You should be as careful of your behavior on social networks as you are in the real world. Behaviors on social networks where anonymity is guaranteed can show one’s personality more directly. Liars are considered nasty and mean, whether in the real world or on social networks. So, we must think carefully about X-men and consider what it means to be a good senior to freshmen again.