The Dark Side of Social Networking

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group

Since the early nineties, the beginning of the digital age brought a vast repository of social networking sites. These websites allow the easy creation of biographical profiles, communication with friends, and allow users to share thoughts, photos, links and music with a couple mouse clicks. It is no surprise that social networks are the top news source for 27.8% of Americans, and as a result have the power to spread information virally, be it true or false. But as amusing and enjoyable as social networking sites such as Facebook are, there are increasing problems with these networks, ranging from the security of information, the use of these websites to bully, to the waste of time and depletion of productivity, among many other issues. Because they facilitate cyber bullying through online hate groups, harm productivity through frivolous time wasting, and aid in social isolation by spurring feelings of disconnection, the managers of social networks should improve methods of detecting harmful thoughts, work places should erect software to block these social networks, and parents should limit the use of their childrens social network usage. Social networks impair productivity among users. A study done by Paul Kirschner and Aryn C. Karpinski, Facebook and academic performance, found that the use of social networks contributes to lack of studying time, and the inconsistent procession of information. The study, conducted among 219 graduate and undergraduate students, concluded that the average GPA among Facebook users was 3.06, verses non-users who attained an average GPA of 3.82. The same study found that Facebook user did 20% lower on tests, and studied fewer hours per week than non-users. Studies done by Urs Gasser and John Palfrey, Mastering Multitasking, showed that when users were alerted to new social networking activity, users take 20-25 minutes to return to the original task, and in 30% of cases, it took two hours to fully return attention to the task. Like students, adults in the workplace have

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group similar declines in productivity due to social networking sites. Research done by Nucleus Research found that nearly two thirds of American workers access Facebook while at work, and 51% of people aged 25-34 accessed social media while at work. The Nielson Company wrote in a report, Social Media Comes of Age, that Americans spent 121 billion minutes using social networking sites on PCs and mobile devices in July 2012 alone. Social networking greatly contributes to frivolous time wasting. Social networking also spurs feelings of social isolation. K Wolfling, M.E. Beutel, and K. W. Muller conducted a study determining the extent of Internet addiction. The study found that Internet usage is correlated with brain disorders, such as ADHD, the need for instant gratification, and selfcentered personalities. These disorders are related to feelings of disconnect, eating disorders, low self esteem, and higher risk for depression. The use of social media at the dinner table have increased from 8% in 2000 to 32% in 2011, resulting in less face-to-face time. With the anonymity of social networks, bullies can target victims online in a concept known as cyber-bullying. Social networking sites in the nineties based around the concept of instant messaging, such as Myspace, and its successor, Facebook, allow for cyber-bullying, and it is an increasing problem. The Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto conducted a survey that comprehensively examined cyber-bullying. The survey examined technology use, cyber bullying behaviors, and the psychosocial impact of bullying and being bullied. About half (49.5%) of students indicated they had been bullied online and 33.7% indicated they had bullied others online. A similar survey conducted in June 2012 by ConsumerReports.org indicated that 800,000 of Facebook minors were harassed or cyber bullied. Emily Bazelon, author of How to Stop the Bullies, wrote, The 2011 Pew report found that 15% of social-media users between the ages of

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group 12 and 17 said theyd been harassed online in the previous year. Bazelons article also cites ConsumerReport.orgs figure of 800,000 minors on Facebook who were bullied or harassed. Social networks are also notorious for spreading false information virally, be it true or false. An incident of this occurred in Mexico City, where false rumors of violence and impending attacks flooded the police with 3000 phone calls with false reports of violence, reported by Olga R. Rodriguez in Mexico Tweets Cause Massive Shootout Panic. Rodriguez continues to write, Mothers rushed to pull their kids out of school, shopkeepers slammed down their metal gates, and bus drivers radioed to another about streets to avoid. Social networks facilitate the spread of false information, and can even cause large-scale panic among cities. Social media also causes people to spend less faceto-face time. A study conducted by the Center for the Digital Future at the USC Annenberg study found that 8% of people reported less face-to-face time in 2000, and rose to 34% in 2011. This is due to incidents of texting at the dinner table, and increasing time spent on the computer. Finally, Social networking can lead to death, in the most extreme cases. In the article, Mexico: Decapitated woman mourned by social media website, Daniel Hernandez reports that the victim was found early Saturday with a note nearby saying she was killed for posting messages online about violent or criminal incidents in Nuevo Laredo. Incorrect use of such websites can lead to outside issues, and can result in death in some cases. Social networks are notable for causing offline relationship problems. As websites for communication, some communication on social networks result in conflict, which can result in the loss of friendship, and in some cases, physical confrontation. The Tone of Life on Social Networking Sites, by Lee Rainie, Amanda Lenhart, and Aaron Smith, conducted a study, yielding results on social network experiences. The study says, 15% of adult SNS [Social Networking Site] users said they had

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group an experience that ended the friendship with someone. The study continues to say, 3% of SNS-using adults said they had gotten into a physical fight with someone based on an experience they had on the site. Social networks can facilitate miscommunication among other things, which lead to the end of friendships, and in some cases, physical violence. Emily Bazelons research article, How to Stop the Bullies recounts the tail of an anonymous user who created the Facebook group Lets Start Drama, on which she posted false rumors about schoolmates, and encouraged subscribers to send her gossip which she would then publicize. The anonymous user (known in the article by the alias Drama Queen) soon reported an audience of 500 members. Bazelon writes, [the group members] said a fight did break out between two boys who were featured on Lets Start Drama, in dueling photo, above the caption Who would win in a fight? The Middletown Youth Services Bureau Director, Justin Carbonella, describes his experience filing a report for the Facebook group, saying, It felt like putting a note in a bottle and throwing it into an ocean, there was no way to know if anyone was out there on the other end. Carbonella filed multiple reports, and after 6 months he didnt hear anything, and the Facebook group continued. Facebook does have its own code of conduct, stating, You will not bully, intimidate, or harass any user, which all users are required to pledge to. Bazelon writes about her visit to Facebooks Hate and Harassment Team, who scroll through the never-ending stream of reports about bullying, harassment, and hate speech. Bazelon inquired whether he would ever spend 10 minutes on a particularly vexing report, and Willner [Manager of the Hate and Harrasment Team] raised his eyebrows. We optimize for half a second, he said. Bazelon asked about the Lets Start Drama group, and she said, We sat and stared at the screen. Willner broke the silence. Someone made a mistake, this profile should have been disabled. He leaned in and peered at the screen. Actually, two different reps made the same mistake, two different times. There was another long

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group pause. Sullivan clicked on Lets Start Drama to delete it. Social Networks have very spotty ways of dealing with cyber bullying, and can result in some cases in physical violence. One way to deal with social networking would be to prohibit the use of them completely, but this would conflict greatly with freedom of speech issues. Users of these sites should also cancel their accounts, on their own accord. At the very least, Facebook (among other social networks) should improve their security and strictly enforce their codes of conduct. As mentioned above, Bazelon interviewed the Facebook Hate and Harassment Team, who reported half a second as the time to decide whether or not a reported post should be deleted or not. Facebook staff should spend much more than half a second to prevent cases of cyber bullying, as this minute timeframe forces inattention to detail. Facebook and other social networks should improve the reporting process for users who spot content they dont like. This would better take down harmful content, and provide the target with the support they need. Another solution is hi-tech algorithms that decipher text and judge whether or not posts are harmful. Previous attempts were made, including BullySpace, which would comb through text and decide whether or not posts were worthy of being deleted. The only issue is context, as Bazelon writes, context is everything when it comes to bullying, and context is maddeningly tricky and subjective. Bazelon writes that the commonsense knowledge base BullySpace is essentially a repository of words and phrases that could be paired with an algorithm to comb through text and spot bullying situations. But, BullySpace is incomplete due to the issue of context. Social networking sites should be prohibited or curbed in moderation, but at the very least, they should at least invest in creations such as BullySpace to correctly and efficiently monitor instances of cyber-bullying.

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group Social networks are vulnerable to identity theft and viruses, and information that the user might even have deleted could haunt the user later when applying for a job. In Beware the new computer virus spreading via chat messaging window on Facebook, Rob Waugh writes about a 2012 Facebook worm that infected through chat windows, saying, Clicking the link [in the chat window] instantly infects your PC with the virus. Social Networks do not scan messages for viruses and scams, and as a result, messaging applications on these websites can easily spread viruses, which can be harmful to computers. Another issue of social networks is that they are essentially a virtual track record. A JobVite seeker survey concluded that job recruiters reported negative reactions to finding illegal drugs (78%), poor spelling or grammar (54%), pictures with alcohol (47%), and profanity (61%) on potential employees social media profiles. Even though they seem like they were deleted, posts on social networks never fully disappear, and could endanger job and college opportunities in the future. Social networks will continue to endanger the lives of journalists, cause high-level panic through false viral information, and lead to offline relationship problems, unless stopped. These websites will proceed to limit face-to-face time and quality time among families, and will increasingly spur feelings of isolation and anxiety among users. The more people trust these websites with their personal information and thoughts, the more opportunities are opened for hackers and the more future job opportunities will diminish due to inappropriate posts that are never truly deleted.

Social networks such as Facebook make up the worlds leading websites, attracting millions of users with the ease of communication and socializing that come with it. Though social networks allow the improvement of relationships and even the creation of new ones, social networks pose

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group many threats to society. Social networks decrease face-to-face time, and in the process spur feelings of social isolation among users. Social networks facilitate cyber-bullying, decrease productivity, and create offline problems that can even result in physical encounters. Social networks also spread false information virally, sometimes resulting in mass panic, and users are regularly attacked by viruses and hackers. Because they facilitate cyber bullying through online hate groups, harm productivity through frivolous time wasting, and aid in social isolation by spurring feelings of disconnection, social networks should improve methods of detecting harmful thoughts, work places should erect software to block these social networks, and parents should limit the use of their childrens social network usage.

Bibliography

Kenneth Hill 3/3/13 CAP Critical Thinking Paper Green Group

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