The 21st Century Obsession - Essay Example

The 21st Century Obsession Since their inception, social networking sites have been a major attraction to millions of users. These sites are a main characterization of the 21st century and the global teenage generation. As such, integration of sites such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and many others into peoples’ lives has become a norm rather than the exception with most people identifying with these sites. The powerful communication and information platform offered by these sites remains unrivalled effectively revolutionizing communication in the contemporary world. In this regard, information has become easily accessible and obtainable by these tools to a majority of the world’s population. To underline the importance of the social networks and media, we need to look at the instrumental role they played in the Egyptian revolution earlier this year (Douglas). With integrated features, social networking sites offer different ways to personalize ways in which individual share. However, while the benefits of the social networks cannot be overemphasized, there are many dangers associated with their use. Such dangers bring a conflict arising from the use of too much of these social networks. This danger is akin to the current situation in the country and globally involving an obsession of the nation by these sites. In addition, the danger is further compounded by the conflict in determining the extent to which one should use the social networks. In this regard, this expose elucidates the issues that conflict the use of the social networks while addressing the history behind the social network. According to Boyd and Ellison, social networking sites are web-based platforms that allowed individuals to construct a profile based on the privacy levels they wished to have and create lists based on their interests in order to communicate effectively. Social networking sites draw their history from computer networking (Bold and Ellison). In this regard, early online services such as Usenet and the bulletin boards that we are all aware of were crucial in the efforts to create the social networking sites. However, integration of social networking sites on the World Wide Web earnestly started taking the nature of communities based on the online platforms. In this regard, these platforms were a tool that enabled people to come together and interact through chat rooms. In addition, the platforms allowed the online communities to come together and share information while communicating (Cotriss). From this point, the technology that enabled the current social networking sites grew in leaps and bounds to the current one we are experiencing. However, there were features integrated along the way that enabled the current social networking sites. Such one feature is the approach of integrating user profiles in the early 1990s as a focal point for social networking sites effectively allowing people--called users--to assemble “friends” while on the same case looking for users who shared similar interests. By the end of the 1990s however, sites started developing and integrating tools that were more advanced in their sites (Boyd and Ellison). In effect, this contemporary social networking sited flourished with the emergence of Six Degrees established in 1997 followed by Make out club, Friendster founded in 2000 and 2002 respectively while Myspace and Linkedln were founded an year after Friendster (Boyd and Ellison). However, it is the latter networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, launched on 2005 and 2006 respectively, which have attracted a significant number of users (Boyd and Ellison). Although Google+ is a new social networking site, the two are the widely used platforms. Individuals who required making connections with people of similar interests find social networking sites as a valuable tool. In this regard, social networking sites are crucial in helping create a lasting relationship and connection with friends, former classmates, and most importantly family. Not only do social networking sites assist users to connect with others, they are a useful tool to update individuals with current information on any subject. Overall, different motivation factors ensure that each individual used social media for different uses. For instance, there are professionals who actively engaged in social networking sites and effectively used media such as blogs to promote their services and products. Indeed statistics point out that in 2006 alone, more than 60 million people in America obtained help on major issues in life from social networking sites (“Social Networking”). From the foregoing, social networking sites essentially makes the world a global village. With an increase in number of these social networking sites, the number of teenage users spending a substantial amount of time in the sites keeps on increasing each day. As a fact, this trend amongst the teenage social networking sites enthusiasts is no longer an addiction but it has become more of an obsession spreading to even younger users. It is pertinent to educate the young k-6 users of these risk factors associated with these sites and hand them the precautionary measures they should take before engaging in social networks. In fact, the k-6 age group should be encouraged to use physical methods of interacting. On the other hand, much of the time they spent on these sites is usually spent in chat rooms that have no regard for the language of communicating. In effect, young children use slang and shortened words while communicating consequently leading to language problems once they continually engage in these sites. In this regard, the downward trend of education standards starts when these children engage in the social networks instead of using their time constructively. On the other hand, the physical social aspect suffers a setback too at this essential growth and development stage on children. The risks are not only associated with the younger users but also with the older population engaging in the use of social networking sites. In this case, revealing a lot of information about an individual raises the risk factors the particular individual. However, most users do this while disregarding the available privacy settings provided by the sites to protect users from unintended users. Marisco noted that, the police were adopting the use of social networks to conduct their investigation. Although this is crucial in combating crime, individuals should realize that it is important to maintain their privacy when engaging in these sites. On the other hand, self exposed information amongst the social networking sites may provide criminals with information to plan and execute crimes since as Marisco further observed, the first group to engage technology for scheming purposes are criminals. Conversely, the need for privacy extends to situations involving people exposing information that makes them fail to get job positions while other have been fired based on information they exposed in the social networks. As previously explained, information on these sites can be used to plan and execute crimes. In effect, this makes security the uppermost concerns when engaging with these sites. Therefore, users who display personal information increasingly put their security under threat when they increase connection with other people. In effect, increased connection makes individuals vulnerable to the new concept called identity theft and specifically because it is challenging to identify the identity of the connections. Risks associated with identity theft are not limited to exposure of personal information only but extend to theft of access to an individual’s online services where useful information can be stolen (Beal). In some unfortunate case, revealing individual information also causes deaths in some instances. Such cases involve a new concept called cyber bullying. In this regard, cyber bullying involves embarrassing, threatening, tormenting, and harassing another individual mostly on the internet platform (“Stop Cyber Bullying”). Although most of those that are cyber bullied are teenagers, it can apply to older people. This concept takes many forms which at times maybe definite or not definite. In one case involving cyber bullying, ABC News reported the suicide of an Irish student on January 14, 2010 following a bullying incident involving threatening text messages and over the social networking site Facebook (Goldman). According to Greenblaat, an average American spent 8.5 hours a day on social networking sites in 2008 alone. In this case, it should be note that the number may have increased with the ease in accessing these sites on different platforms and their growing popularity. This is a dangerous precedent being set since most people appear to spend most of their productive time on social networking sites effectively affecting their social and productivity lives. This sets a rising conflict that requires debate and consideration. In general, four forces drive people into social networking. The first one is me-driven force. In this regard, people will get into the social networks in order to allow them to gain more than they gave. According to Webster, the need to express self freely requires a platform that is not regulated and restricted. Hence, more people joined the unrestricted and mostly unregulated social networking sites. Little wonder that the social networks demography in the United States indicated that 80% of individuals with a profile on a networking site were of the age13-17 years while another 89% were of the age 18-24 years (Webster). This thus shows a conflict that the current public does not give youths avenues to express themselves effectively leaving them to find other avenues on their own. On the other hand, the need for people to belong to a certain community drove them to join the social networks. Sociologists defined a community as a group that shared a common location and effectively interacted with each other. In such an instance, the need to belong to a certain community and a group influenced people to join the social networks. Such drive is the peer-driven force .Conversely, the trust-driven platform basis arises when some users do not trust the current social networks platform that they used and effectively joined other networks that they trusted as different from their original ones (Webster). Although this obsession of the twenty first century has influenced the way people communicated, it is crucial to monitor its usage since a few may use it for the wrong reasons. On the other hand, the growing risk associated with criminal activities on the social networks emphasizes the importance for putting an individual privacy topmost while engaging with the social networks. On the other hand, while social networks users continue growing leaps and bounds each day, the younger generation of children embracing the sites is growing younger each passing day. With this young generation, dangers abound concerning the development factors and the behaviors they gained from these sites. The threat is not only limited to the children, adults are also at a huge risk of endangering their social skills and productivity by sending a lot of time in these social networks. In addition, the information these sites generate is enormous for which it can be detrimental to a certain extent if not controlled. Works Cited Are Social Networking sites good for our society? Social Networking ProCon.org. 14. Nov. 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Beal, Vangie. How to Defend Yourself Against Identity Theft. Webopedia.com. 1 Sep. 2010. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Boyd, Danah M., & Nicole B. Ellison. Social network sites: Definition, history, and scholarship. Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication, 13(1), article 11 (2007). . Cotriss, David. Where are they now: iWon. The Industry Standard. 21, May 2009. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. < http://www.infoworld.com/t/networking/where-are-they-now-iwon-385>. Douglas, Ian. The real use of social media in the Egyptian revolution. The Telegraph. 14 Feb. 2011. Web. < http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/technology/iandouglas/100006366/the-real-use-of-social-media-in-the-egyptian-revolution/>. Goldman Russell. Teens Indicted After allegedly Taunting Girl Who Hanged Herself. ABC News. 13 Nov., 2011. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Greenblaat, Alan. Is the Web changing the way we think? The CQ Researcher. 24 Sep. 2010. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. < http://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre2010092400>. Marisco Jr, Edward M. Social Networking Websites. Widener Law Journal 19.3 (2010): 967-76. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Romm-Livermore, C. & Setzekorn, K. (2008). Social Networking Communities and E-Dating Services: Concepts and Implications‎. IGI Global. p.271 What is cyber bullying, exactly? Stop cyber bullying. n.d. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Webster, Karen L. The five forces of social networking: A guide to Making Friends and Making Money. Market Platforms Dynamics. Nov. 2008. Web. 4 Dec. 2011. . Read More