Social Media Do More Damage than Good in Our Society Essay Example

privacy.

While privacy issues are a main concern when it comes to the social networking sites, people are oblivious of this fact considering that internet users around the world are interacting and socializing with other people in an extremely open and public environment. Social networking sites are violating peoples’ privacy and the perfect example is when Facebook by default, in December 2009, made all users information publicly available (O' Bien, Deirdre, and Ann 64). This means that everyone using Facebook during this time could view the personal information of the other Facebook users whether the users were using passwords or not. Since then, Facebook users have remained doubtful about how social media sites like Facebook are handling peoples’ privacy. In addition to that, it is very easy for hackers to hack a personal account of another user and view the personal information of the other person.

The hackers can also tamper with another user’s account and even go as far as posting obscene information on the other user’s profile. Furthermore, social networking sites have been found to expose users’ personal information to government and corporate intrusion. A cross-sectional study done by O’Brien and Torres found out that over three-quarters of Facebook users are making efforts to change their privacy settings to tighter controls because of the concerns they have on their personal privacy (O' Bien, Deirdre, and Ann 63). Only a quarter of Facebook users seem to believe that the social networking site together with its users share an equal obligation when it comes to the personal privacy of people. However, there is yet another argument that opposes that there is breach of privacy in social networking

sites. Such arguments claim that the social media follows legal guidelines concerning peoples’ privacy and therefore there are minimal chances that the right to personal privacy will be breached.

In addition, the social media has significantly reduced social-emotional skills. Before the advent of the social networking sites, people used to interact physically with each other. Pantic has been able to note that for the past ten years of the rapid development of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter has drastically changed ways through which people used to communicate with each other (652). Facebook, which is the biggest social networking site in the world, has over a billion active users and as years go by people have observed an increased number of users in this social networking site. Most people around the world are using social media to communicate with other people and almost a whole population in the most developed countries is using the social media. Today almost everyone has a cell phone while most people have tablets and laptops from where it is very easy for one to join one or more social networking sites and become an active member.

It is very easy to join these social networking sites especially because there are no charges involved. Instead of people taking time to visit friends and family, they opt for online socializing and interacting and this has made people very lazy. Nevertheless, there are is another argument that suggests that the social media has been a great help when it comes to socializing people. This argument is based on the fact that people are able to socialize with other people who are from different

ethnic, cultural, and religious backgrounds around the world. In addition, people are able to reach out to their loved ones who are miles away in another part of the world.

Another way through which the social media has caused damage to the society is that most people have become addicted to the social networking sites. Social networking addiction has been likened to other types of behavioral addiction in human beings. This means that social networking addiction share common features with other types of behavioral addiction such as “excessive use, tolerance, withdrawal, and negative repercussions from use” (Hormes et al., 2079). More evidence obtained from research studies suggest that social networking addiction has significant similarities with behavioral addiction such as substance and gambling addiction. From the various research studies that have been done to establish causes of internet addiction, results have shown that it is not simply the use of the internet or the social networking sites that causes the addictive behavior. Rather, it is the emailing, text messaging, video calling, and involvement in gaming and sexual preoccupations that lead to an individual becoming addicted (Hormes et al., 2080). Preliminary evidence has indicated that the patterns of the use of social networking sites like Facebook, Whatsapp, and other such sites can become excessive and maladaptive as well. Individuals who have active accounts in one or several networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, Instagram, and Skype, feel the constant urge to check into their accounts to see what other people have posted. They also feel the need to post new pictures about themselves and then they will always be tempted to log in to check how many likes

and comments they have received from the other users (Kuss and Griffiths 68). On the contrary, there are other scholars who are working hard to prove that social networking does not cause addiction similar to other behavioral addiction. They agree that the behavior of social networking has increased but does not pose such risks as addiction.

Furthermore, cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking has become a routine when it comes to the social networking sites. Although there have been more efforts from scholars to understand the factors behind traditional bullying and stalking, the advent of cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking has made it even more difficult for researchers to detect and catch these troubled online perpetrators. Research has suggested that more than 30% of people using the social networking sites have been stalked by unknown people (Strawhun, Natasha, and Matthew 716). While engaged with the social networking behavior, it is so easy to have total strangers as friends in the personal accounts found in the social networking sites. Some of those strangers have good intentions while others have bad ones. It may even seem so much fun for people to post pictures with their friends on the social media and disclose information about their whereabouts but then the strangers use that information for blackmailing reasons. Cyber-stalking has been identified to be the act whereby there is repeated threats and harassment through an electronic device communication that makes an individual to fear for his or her safety (Strawhun, Natasha, and Matthew 715).

Social networking sites have provided cyber-stalking with the ideal environment as well as more rapid ways through which the perpetrators can identify their victims. The social media provides a rich variety

of people based on factors such as age, gender, race, sexual orientations, and also religious faiths (Strawhun, Natasha, and Matthew 716). Intimate relations can be established via the social media with a click of the mouse or through just text messaging and sharing pictures. This is how victims pave way for the cyber-stalkers who gain access to a lot of personal information about them. However, people who oppose that there is anything like cyber-stalking and cyber bullying argue that people who are bullied and stalked online bring this to themselves because they give access to their personal information to strangers.

Moreover, the social media have been associated with psychiatric disorders. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Whatsapp, LinkedIn, Skype, Pinterest and Instagram have almost completely changed the way people used to communicate and interact with each other. Even though the social media has brought about various advantages such as sharing of ideas, increasing connectivity, and also online learning, researchers, through various studies have associated the media with various psychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, and low self-esteem (Pantic 652). Psychiatric disorders continue to pose a serious concern for the members of the public especially since almost everyone is using the social media. Social media use affects social relationships and participation in community life in a profound way. Researchers have found out that due to a lot of time spend by users in the social networking sites, the social circle of the user reduces and communication with family members declines and as a result, this leads to increased feelings of loneliness and depression (Pantic 652). With the development of social networks, children, adolescents, and even adults

have been found to spend a lot of time on their phones and in front of their computer screens chatting.

Despite the fact that the social networks allow people to interact and socialize with a vast audience within a very short period of time, this kind of interaction is shallow and it cannot in any way replace the traditional way of communication, which involves face-to-face interaction. In addition, certain activities on the social media like posting a picture on Facebook or Twitter can lead to low self-esteem especially where other users comment negatively about a posted status or photo (Ortiz-Nance 15). On the other hand, there are researchers who contend that some social networking sites such as Facebook in fact boost levels of self-esteem on individuals. Since online interaction makes it possible for even strangers to communicate without knowing the real person on the other side, it is very easy for a user to paint a very positive image about himself or herself.

To conclude, social networking sites have brought more damage than good to the society. Even though there are various advantages that are associated with the social media like increased connectivity and the instant sharing of information, ideas, and opinions, many factors indicate the pitfalls associated with it. Privacy issues for instance have become a major concern to the members of the public especially where the government can be permitted to gain access to private information in the pretense of public safety and security. Hackers are also around waiting for the perfect opportunity to hack into a person’s personal information. Furthermore, other factors such as psychiatric disorders, reduced personal interaction, addiction, and cyber-bullying and cyber-stalking

are associated with the social media. Despite that, the most shocking news is that as years go by, more and more people are becoming active users of the social networking sites. Maybe the solution will be for policy makers to try and invent those strategies that will minimize the negative effects of the social media on the society.

Works Cited

1. Hormes, Julia M.Kearns, BriannaTimko, C. Alix. "Craving Facebook? Behavioral Addiction To Online Social Networking And Its Association With Emotion Regulation Deficits." Addiction 109.12 (2014): 2079-2088. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
2. Kuss, Daria J., and Mark D. Griffiths. "Excessive Online Social Networking: Can Adolescents Become Addicted To Facebook?." Education & Health 29.4 (2011): 68-71. Professional Development Collection. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
3. O' Bien, Deirdre, and Ann M. Torres. "Social Networking And Online Privacy: Facebook Users' Perceptions." Irish Journal Of Management 31.2 (2012): 63-97. Business Source Elite. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
4. Ortiz-Nance, Ian. "Electronic Social Networking Services and their Effects on Multidimensional Self-Esteem." Order No. 3436597 Alliant International University, Fresno, 2011. Ann Arbor. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
5. Pantic, Igor. "Online Social Networking And Mental Health." Cyberpsychology, Behavior & Social Networking 17.10 (2014): 652-657. Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.
6. Strawhun, Jenna, M.A., Natasha Adams B.A., and Matthew T. Huss PhD. "The Assessment of Cyberstalking: An Expanded Examination Including Social Networking, Attachment, Jealousy, and Anger in Relation to Violence and Abuse." Violence and victims 28.4 (2013): 715-30. Web. 30 Jan. 2016.