The dark side of social networking When Andrew Weinreich founded SixDegrees.com, the first social networking site launched in 1997, he had no idea that he had created a tool that would become so detrimental to society. Far too often jobs, friends, and in extreme cases, lives are lost because of what is said on these online sites. But, that is not to say that social networks aren’t valuable for business purposes, finding lost friends, or acquiring information. Martin Baily, PhD, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution said that social networks are “Powerful technologies that provide great benefits, but they also change the way we live, and not always in ways that everyone likes.” While there are certainly positive sides of communicating
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It is often assumed that the victims of teen cyber bullying are unpopular, but that is not always the case. According to puresight, an online safety site, “Sarah Lynn Butler, a seventh grader from Hardy, Arkansas who had just been voted Queen for her upcoming Fall Festival, was teased at school, and later on received bullying messages on her Myspace page. […] She left a suicide note that said she couldn 't handle what others were saying about her online.” I have a personal connection with cyberbullying because I was given the opportunity to volunteer when the family of cyberbullying victim Ty Smalley came to speak at a church camp I was at. Only after in-depth discussion with the family could I truly understand how valuable the things we say online are. Some have said that the best way to avoid cyber bullying is to “log off,” otherwise it is the victims fault for being foolish enough to read the things said about them. However, science has proven that addictive chemicals are released when logged on to social networks that keep us coming back. I think that social networks, not the victims or the bully’s, are to blame for creating an environment in which bullies are allowed to say whatever they want and the victims cannot stop themselves from interacting with this …show more content…
They are a valuable asset in helping the police and FBI catch criminals. Social Networks are a great way to catch up with lost friends, to find a job or relationship, to share information with your friends, and, my favorite use, to check sports scores and stories. Social networks let people stay connected and build a community. However, all of this social networking has come at a price. The New York Times reported on Monday, August 25, 2015 that for the first time ever 1 BILLION people logged on to Facebook in one day. That means that 1 out of every 7 people in the world stopped what they were doing to check their Facebook account. While most time spent on social networks is considered enjoyable, little consideration is given to what people are missing when you are logged on. Instead of someone spending time outside with their children they might be looking at a friend from high school they haven’t seen in 20 years secret brownie recipe. With each passing day I realize more and more that time in our lives is like sand passing through an hourglass. I would hate to wake up one day and ask myself what major life events have I missed while logged on to social
It is often assumed that the victims of teen cyber bullying are unpopular, but that is not always the case. According to puresight, an online safety site, “Sarah Lynn Butler, a seventh grader from Hardy, Arkansas who had just been voted Queen for her upcoming Fall Festival, was teased at school, and later on received bullying messages on her Myspace page. […] She left a suicide note that said she couldn 't handle what others were saying about her online.” I have a personal connection with cyberbullying because I was given the opportunity to volunteer when the family of cyberbullying victim Ty Smalley came to speak at a church camp I was at. Only after in-depth discussion with the family could I truly understand how valuable the things we say online are. Some have said that the best way to avoid cyber bullying is to “log off,” otherwise it is the victims fault for being foolish enough to read the things said about them. However, science has proven that addictive chemicals are released when logged on to social networks that keep us coming back. I think that social networks, not the victims or the bully’s, are to blame for creating an environment in which bullies are allowed to say whatever they want and the victims cannot stop themselves from interacting with this …show more content…
They are a valuable asset in helping the police and FBI catch criminals. Social Networks are a great way to catch up with lost friends, to find a job or relationship, to share information with your friends, and, my favorite use, to check sports scores and stories. Social networks let people stay connected and build a community. However, all of this social networking has come at a price. The New York Times reported on Monday, August 25, 2015 that for the first time ever 1 BILLION people logged on to Facebook in one day. That means that 1 out of every 7 people in the world stopped what they were doing to check their Facebook account. While most time spent on social networks is considered enjoyable, little consideration is given to what people are missing when you are logged on. Instead of someone spending time outside with their children they might be looking at a friend from high school they haven’t seen in 20 years secret brownie recipe. With each passing day I realize more and more that time in our lives is like sand passing through an hourglass. I would hate to wake up one day and ask myself what major life events have I missed while logged on to social