The Dark Side of Social Networking

I recently found an article on ednews.org, "The Dark Side of Social Networking."

This article was highly appealing because it used a very important man to support the authors ideas. David Gewirtz is the Cyber terrorism Advisor to the International Association of Counter Terrorism and Security Professionals. David Gewirtz supports ideas like the internet can be a very scary place when it is not used for the right reasons.

Most of the users of social networking websites are undisciplined individuals who automatically attract dangerous criminals. Most of the users are not completely aware of the dangerous situations that they are putting themselves in when they simply log in to their profiles.

Social Networking Websites are hotspots for criminals because over 2/3 of the total internet population signs on to at least 1 social networking websites each month. By using the websites one is making themselves easily accessible to internet hackers as well as internet predators.

When using these sites, one must be smart about what they do and what can be seen.

The Negative Effects of Facebook

The other day, I was browsing the internet and I found an article, "The Negative Effects of Facebook," by Christina Pomoni on articlebase.com.


This article shows horrible consequences that can ensue once a user begins to use a social networking site, such as Facebook. This article is set up like a normal day for an average individual and how they might use Facebook. I found this set up to be engaging as well as extremely accurate.

The article vividly illustrates how one would get on Facebook and see all of their notifications and spend hours mindlessly looking at pages when they have many things that are much more significant to do. This article tells how easily people can have their identity stolen and be cyberbullied due to people's excitement when they have a friend request, they often don't even know the person.

Facebook can also put a great strain on marriages and relationships when individuals talk to others beside their partners. The article also portrays a situation where a parent is pestering their child to get off of the site, but the child cannot take them seriously because the parent spends just as much time on the website.

I really loved this article. It was humorous and really made me think. I would highly recommend it!

Negative Sides of Social Networking.

I was browsing a search engine the other day, when I came across an article, "Negative Sides of Social Networking," by Manal Sharief on Helium.com.


This article focuses on the harsh, but realistic consequences that can ensue with the use of social networking websites. Users often become socially inactive because they are so absorbed in their profile page. It is also very easy for user to let friendships with individuals who do not use the networking sites fall to the way-side.

The most serious consequence is the susceptibility to be a victim. There are several types of victims that result from social networking websites. Individuals can have their identity stolen, they leave themselves more likely to have their computer hacked, there is an ever increasing problem with cyberbullying, and sexual harassment when they lackadaisically use the sites.

The overall message of the article is that it is better to be safe than sorry. It is easier to just not create a profile then have to worry about all the heinous outcomes that can occur.

Risk Taking and Trust

When exploring the internet to learn more about the nature of social networking, I came across an article. The article, "Internet Social Networking Communities: Risk Taking, Trust, and Privacy Concerns" was published in News Fronts Washington bu an unknown author.

This article is based mainly upon a study that was conducted upon a group of college students. The students seem to be relatively concerned about who knows their personal information bu they don't hesitate for a minute to put these same things they worry about on social networking websites where anyone can see them.

The study concluded that individuals feel more secure with Facebook than any other social networking website. The study also showed that men feel much more secure with having their information online than women. Women seemed to feel much more vulnerable with having their information online most likely because there are more male online predators than online women predators.

Facebook!

The other day I saw found this article, "Facebook: Friend or Foe?" The article was published in The Times Educational Supplement and was written by Mark Piesing. In this article, the author uses examples and possible situation to describe issues that could arise with teachers using Facebook both privately and professionally.

There have been teachers who have put themselves in vulnerable positions by accepting their students as friends. If students become friends with their teachers on Facebook, then the student then has full access to the teachers profile which accompanies personal information as well as personal photos/messages.

There have also been situations where students have been upset with their teachers and have made fake profiles and inappropriate interactions with others through Facebook.

There have been cases where Facebook has been a very helpful educational tool. Teachers can talk to many of their students at one time through Facebook chat. The students can easily communicate with there teacher and ask question that they might not have had time to in class. Many students also become more comfortable with their teachers once they see they have a real life outside of school. It makes the students feel like they can more easily relate to their teachers since they seem more like real people.

Social Networking in the House

Recently, I was checking around the internet to find some articles about social networking websites. I came across a article "House Hold Hearings on Social Networking Websites." The article was written by Joshua Fogel and Elham Nehmad. The article describes about many of the problems that the House of Representatives sees with letting the youth of the country access the websites, especially from public places.

Many representatives see the social networking sites as a gateway for predators to meet a plethora of young, vulnerable victims. Most young teens do not have a realistic grip on what a large chance there is for them to encounter a predator. The representatives see no need for children to be exposed to a danger that is completely aviodable.

Some Pros and Cons

There are mixed feelings about social networking amongst people in the United States. The mixed feelings developed because of the way the individuals see the world around them.



Some of the pros that are arising are the ease in speaking to friends without even having to pick up the phone. The neetworking sites also make it very easy for individuals to meet people with similar interests. Using online sites is a great way to meet people with out having to actual meet the person. Using the sites allows individuals to connect with multiple people at the same thing which is more diffiult to due via cell phone.

Even though there are pros, there seems to be many more cons. If someone makes a mistake of adding a "friend" that they really don't know, there are many possible outcomes. It is easy for that "friend" to personal information. The "friend" could use the information to commit identity theft or to stalk to the person. If someone has their boss or co-workers as friends, it is possible that they are putting their job in jeopardy. Those are just a few of the possible cons.

Transition...

Recently, I have become interested on the impact that social networking is having on society.



I came across an article, Social Networking: Communication Revolution or Evolution? by Cheryl L. Coyle and Heather Vaughn. The authors claim that the massive boom in social networking sites have not had a large impact upon the "normal" relationships in day-to-day life. Most college students are using the sites strictly to keep in touch with friends. It is rare for the students to try and meet new people via internet. The students use the sites becuase it is a quick and easy way to keep in touch with friends because it is harder to maintain relationships with friends than with family members who they can just call when they have time.

An interesting article

I was looking through articles today and I found this really interesting piece.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1154194,00.html