The article I linked to is the example OP used, not something I offered. And it's not about the tone of that editorial but its direction which is completely aligned with the modern corporate expectations and nothing like vandalizing a McDonald's with an anti-corporate slogan.
Sure, maybe college kids are adjusting their values because of the permanence of record. But it's a completely different thesis from the one presented in the OP (let them make mistakes on a smaller scale). Actually, a much more interesting one.
> "Sure, maybe college kids are adjusting their values because of the permanence of record. But it's a completely different thesis from the one presented in the OP (let them make mistakes on a smaller scale)."
The central points of the article are covered by the following quotes...
"That’s the important bit. Because for all of the supposed liberating power of their digital devices, they might as well be wearing ankle monitors. Technological connectedness has made it much harder for them to make mistakes and learn from them.
Today’s students live their lives so publicly — through the technology we provide them without training — that much simpler errors than mine earn them the wrath of the entire internet."
"In my own life I made bad choices that went far beyond spray paint. I flunked out of college and at various points narrowly dodged jail time. When I think back to those mistakes, I’m horrified and chastened. I feel fortunate to have survived, to have had the privilege to make amends.
It would be nice to live in a world in which errors weren’t necessary. Or would it? Miles Davis left behind a quote that I think captures the beauty of a world in which mistakes are natural or even valued: “It’s not the note you play that’s the wrong note — it’s the note you play afterwards that makes it right or wrong.”
Our children deserve the opportunity to play the music for themselves."
The general gist is that mistakes are an essential part of the learning process. Increased public scrutiny holds students back from learning from their mistakes. You hold people back from exploring ideas fully if you're aware that every simple misstep can carry a high price. Whether the students are consciously aware that they're being held back is an interesting point, but not the main one. The impact may not always be felt on an individual level, but if an impact is made on the cultural norms of the time then it can still affect the behaviour of these same individuals. If you don't know what you're missing out on you may be conditioned to accept current cultural norms without questioning them.
Sure, maybe college kids are adjusting their values because of the permanence of record. But it's a completely different thesis from the one presented in the OP (let them make mistakes on a smaller scale). Actually, a much more interesting one.