Editorial: Social media sobriety test won’t stop drunks

When we found out about the Firefox plugin designed to prevent drunk postings on Facebook and… When we found out about the Firefox plugin designed to prevent drunk postings on Facebook and other websites, we were excited. After all, nothing can quite ruin a pleasant night of drinking like finding embarrassing public evidence of it on the Internet the next afternoon.

The plugin is called “The Social Media Sobriety Test” and is, according to its website, designed to “put an end to the embarrassment that follows regrettable, late night posts with 3 easy steps.”

Users customize their settings to select which sites they’d like to limit their access to. Then, they choose the hours during which they’re most likely to be drunk and, finally, they put the plugin to work. During the designated hours, users must take a test before logging on to the sites they picked.

Despite our excitement about the plugin, we noticed a few ways to get around the test.

When we tried to log on to Facebook with the sobriety test installed, we were prompted to take a time test — which required us to count to 30 and then press “stop,” all while being distracted with random numbers popping up on the screen. The time test allows a five-second margin of error.

After passing the test, an optional message can be posted to your Facebook that says “[Your name here] is sober or just lucky enough to get past The Social Media Sobriety Test.”

Unfortunately, we only had to pass the test once during our “designated drunk time.” This could be problematic if you happen to get drunk after the first time you’ve taken the test.

When we took the test and failed it — on purpose — we had the option of posting a message that said “is too intoxicated to post right now.” But we were able to erase this message and type in whatever we wanted without logging in or passing the test, as well as eventually choosing the “I’m not drunk get outta my way,” option at the bottom of the page.

So whereas Mashable wrote that “judging from the neverending supply of material on Texts From Last Night, [The Social Media Sobriety Test] is probably rather necessary,” we have our doubts. But we still think the plugin is well intended and also pretty hilarious.

Still, we think this technology would be more useful on things like cars — inhibiting a person from driving drunk — and underwear: somehow preventing regrettable drunken hookups while still allowing bathroom use. In addition, it could be nice if drunk texting and calling could be eliminated while still allowing users to be able to call for a ride home or 911 if necessary.

Ultimately, of course, the best way to prevent the consequences of a night of partying is to drink responsibly.