THREATS RESULTING FROM SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES

Social networking is the process of finding friends and of managing

friendships through the internet. People who wish to meet others on line put up
their most compelling and attractive presentations through their profile pages.
They join groups and communicate with others by commenting on topics or by
introducing topics that hope to encourage discussion.
The advantages are endless. A person can protect privacy by putting up
fake addresses, birthdates, addresses and symbolic images, making the profile
private and for friends only. Privacy is ensured by exercising caution when
posting personal and biographical information and photos. The amount of
personal data that is made available should be highly customizable, or it is best
to find a site that provides better privacy features.
The disadvantages are also endless. The primary disadvantage of social
networking is that most people do not know how to network effectively. As a
result, the few benefits they get from their networking activity are not worth the
time invested. The best way to avoid being disappointed in this way is to decide
on a strategy for using social sites, and stick to it. For example, if you are going
to use Twitter to draw attention to exciting new content on your website, then
resist the temptation to waste time tweeting about unrelated topics. Stay
focused on what you want to achieve and dont let yourself get distracted.
The golden rule of social networking is to avoid putting anything online
that could reflect badly on you or your business. Pictures of you acting
unprofessionally could harm your chances of getting a job, or make a poor
impression on a new client. If you want to use a social media site for personal as
well as professional networking, consider creating a separate account under a
nickname, so you can keep your professional account clean. Social networking

sites can sell your personal information to anyone who wants to buy it, including
spammers and on line predators. Even if the terms of understanding claim that
no personal information will be sold, the site can change its policy at any
time.Now, this term paper aims to discuss the effects of social networking sites
to teenagers. It increasingly interest academic and industry researchers who
were intrigued by Social Networking Sites affordability and reach. Besides, we
researchers want to specify that we would like to discuss only negative effects of
Social Networking Sites to teenagers focusing with these areas.
First, Social Networking causes Cybercrimes such as cyber
bullying and personal fraud. How are these two connected? According to Ann
Frisn, Professor of Psychology at the University of Gothenburg, Cyber bullying
occurs when new technologies such as computers used to harass or bully
somebody. We all know that social networking is a product of technology and
technology brings new kinds of crime. While many people use it for wholesome,
ethical, and healthy reasons, there are also many who utilize it to abuse and
exploit others, particularly children and teens. The convenience brought by the
web has led criminals to understand that carrying out their trade is much easier
and less risky online. The use of fake identities is one advantage these people
have in order to be more confident in exploiting and abusing children. The
perpetrators often use SMS, e-mail, chat rooms and Facebook to spread their
message. While personal fraud is a crime type that is rapidly growing in the
society because of the wide range of expansion and availability of internet
technology and the enhancement of electronic storage, spread and distribution
of data (Australian Bureau of Statistics,2008). Then, cyber bullying and personal
fraud would lead to several problems, these includes: depression, isolation and
invasion of privacy.

Second, Internet has provided us a large number of benefits - increased

knowledge, reduced communication barriers, a much wider reach across the
globe, and so on. However, the same internet has also resulted in various
bad effects as well, of which the most prominent is cybersex. As the
name suggests, Cybersex is the virtual encounter to sex, by watching or
discussing about explicit sexual material. In this situation, two or more persons
connected via internet exchange messages that describe a sexual experience.
Commonly performed in cyber cafes, internet sex is now a common sight at
home, workplaces and even at educational institution. An addiction to internet
sex addiction has resulted in drastic psychological changes in the netizens.
We

commonly

use

the

internet

for

accessing

information.

Right

information is the targeted thing when we use the internet. Most of us dont use
it to encounter sexual activities. These activities are well known as cybersex. It is
in the form virtual date involving more than one by webcam and microphone as
well as chatting. It involves sexual activities between one and more than one via
online

or

the

internet.

Parents educate their children and nurture their behaviors in how they
interact with different genders. It means there is a tight restriction to immature
people, notably children, to speak out deeply about the contact of sexuality.
Cybersex has encouraged children to behave beyond the right ways. Children
use the internet to look for friends which includes different genders so that the
close relation among them will be well linked. Before being mature people and
sexual education is given to them, children have begun falling in love with a
different gender and they understand the sexual contact. The will continuously
message their partners to date online or offline, so it will encourage online sexual
addiction. On the other hand, when children feel as though they are falling in
love, it will change their behavior and mindset. For instance, because of

cybersex, some Indonesian children have accessed pornographic films and in the
long term it will bring about sexual crime such as rape. According to the research
of Susan A. Milstein, cybersex is cheating and it can have a negative effect on a
relationship. It means that the fidelity of someone could be measured by
cybersex activities. Here, we emphasize that as their parents (mother or father)
commit to destroy the good relationship with the partner due to cybersex, it will
influence their children. Their children will be unbalancing conditions and trauma.
Threats that may arise in study habits of student by using social
networking sites are plagiarisms, attention to studies and poorer time
management.

Plagiarism affects college students in a number of tangible and

intangible ways. Lack of awareness without proper citation requirements and a
simple desire to cut corners on school work are common motives of plagiarism. If
students considered the impact and consequences of this form of cheating, they
likely wouldn't copy another writer's work and use it as their own. Creativity is
the ability to develop or generate something original and unique. Plagiarism is,
by definition, imitation, which is the opposite of creativity. In an October 2010
"Psychology Today" article, Dr. Shelley Carlson indicated that instructors bear the
responsibility of enforcing requirements that students do original work. In fact,
failure of instructors to catch and address instances of copying reinforces this
problematic student behavior. Plagiarism limits the thought, research and critical
thinking involved in developing an original paper or report. This negatively
impacts the overall educational experience and growth of a college student.
The most tangible impact of plagiarism for students are the consequences
that come with violating school polices. These can range from simply failing an

assignment or paper to failing a class or getting suspended or expelled. Some

colleges even put a notation on your transcript, such as "Convicted of
Plagiarism," that remains in place for a specific time, such as 7 to 10 years after
the incident. Additionally, in extreme cases, students may face criminal and civil
penalties for plagiarism if they copy major portions of a public work. This gets
into the legal realm of copyright infringement. Fines and even imprisonment are
possible in these cases.
Engaging in online world will be a great factor why students would have
lesser attention to study and finish the task they should do and we can therefore
conclude, poor time management will be the effect of such doings in the study
habits of students. One of the more obvious signs that a college student
struggles with poor time management is when he can't get work done
because he is too caught up in trivial activities. Television, video games,
cellphones, parties and sleep have all been known to distract well-meaning
college students from productive activities like studying and homework. If you
don't keep a schedule and calendar, you can easily get caught up in obsessive
TV or video game playing.
Poor time management can negatively affect your classroom
performance in several ways. First, if you don't structure time for homework
and projects, you may not complete them on time. Even if you get them done,
procrastination and rushed work will limit your performance and grades.
Cramming for tests is another common trait of disorganized or undisciplined
college students. Rather than setting aside time each evening for study, poor
time managers tend to try to absorb everything in a few late hours the day
before the test.

Perusing Facebook, sending rapid-fire text messages, and tweeting back

and forth with friends and celebrities alike might not be the best academic
strategy, it turns out.
A new study released by researchers at The Miriam Hospitals Centers for
Behavioral and Preventive Medicine shows a link between social media use and
poor academic performance. The study wasnt limited to usage of traditional
social media outlets like Twitter and Facebook, but instead included popular
social technology like texting.
Freshman women spend upwards of 12 hours a day using some form of
social media, researchers found. Social networking and watching movies and TV
were most negatively associated with academic performance among the study
participants.
Jennifer Walsh, lead author of the study, which was published in the
journal Emerging Adulthood, wrote that students who spent the most time using
social media had fewer academic behaviors, such as completing homework and
attending class, lower academic confidence and more problems affecting their
school work, like lack of sleep and substance use.
There were two media-related activities that were linked to higher grade
point averages: listening to music and reading the newspaper.
Facebook, Twitter, YouTubewho has not heard of these social media
websites? Everywhere you turn today, emphasis is being placed on social
networking and connecting online. These popular websites have millions of users
spending 22-percent of their time online, according to the Nielsen Company.
People of all ages are now tuning to this form of interactive dialogue as a means

of communicating with others. But does this form of communication and

socialization come with a price?
The possible negative effects of social media on a persons health
have been a hot topic, recently. You may be wondering: Is there any
credibility in the idea that logging on can actually be detrimental to your health?
According to recent studies, there just may be.
Pew Research (2013) noted that as of this year, approximately 72% of
online young adults use social media sites extensively on daily basis. The use of
social media can be a great tool, it helps individuals source information and
communicate with their friends, however, can imply possible negative health
impacts. The term social media refers to online material produced by the
public, distinct from content produced by professional writers, journalists or
generated by the industrial or mass media (Bozarth 2010, p. 12). Examples of
social technologies used to create social media include those for communication
(such as blogs wordpress or blogger), communities (such as Facebook or
Twitter), and multimedia (such as YouTube, Tumblr or Instagram). The extensive
use of social media is growing amongst young adults and they are considering it
as a vital part of their life. However, they dont realise that it has fewer positive
health

effects,

rather,

it

negatively

and

detrimentally

affects

them

psychologically, sexually and physically, which are the health impacts examined
in this essay.
Social media can be a great source of education for young adults, but
as Atwal (2011) states, daily overuse of various forms of social media and
technology has a negative effect on the health of all children, preteens and
teenagers (young adults), making them more prone to the most common
psychological disorders. As of benefits, social media aids introverted young

adults by allowing them to express themselves better and by being more

interactive and outgoing. In juxtaposition, more importantly, reports suggests
that extensive social media usage may uniquely be associated with deflects in
basic cognitive processes such as the ability to successfully filter out irrelevant
information and ignore distraction (Becker, Alzahabi & Hopwood 2013).
Additionally, this type of poor attentional control has been suggested to maintain
and conceivably provoke one of the most common mental illnesses, depression.
Social Networking Sites cause obesity by reducing movement of
our muscles. Obesity denotes an unambiguous threat to the health and
wellbeing of young adults. Considerable research is now finding that extensive
exposure to social media sites plays an important role in the etiology of obesity
(Strasburger, Jordan & Donnerstein 2012). To the extent that obesity is a product
of voluntary choices of behaviours, people are embedded in social networks and
are influenced by the evident appearance and behaviours of those around them
suggests that weight gain in one person might influence weight gain in others
(Christakis & Fowler 2007). Additionally, such influential social devices, it is
possible that physiological simulation might occur; areas of the brain that
correspond to actions such as eating food may be simulated if these actions are
observed in others. Although heavy social media use is implicated in obesity,
relatively promotional fitness membership programs on Facebook and other
social media sites have created opportunities for young adults to join the gym or
participate in free fitness classes.
Despite some positive health impacts, parallel to the topic, social media
also encounters a crucial role in the formation of young peoples body self-image;
may be responsible for creating unrealistic expectations, body dissatisfaction;
and may even contribute to the development of eating disorders (Strasburger,

Jordan & Donnerstein 2012). For young adults, predominantly females, fashion
and beauty images on many social media websites are particularly adept at
displaying role models with impossibly thin bodies. Strasburger, Jordan and
Donnerstein (2012) found that there are now more than 100 pro-anorexia web
sites (pro-ana sites) that not only encourage disordered eating but offer specific
advice on purging, severely restricting caloric intake, and exercising excessively.
Young adults, who are expose to these social media platforms extensively, will
most likely double the risk of developing an eating disorder, which can become
extremely detrimental and physically, sexually and psychologically distressing.
When face-to-face communication has been removed, it becomes easy for
some individuals to use a type of alter ego to exaggerate who they really are.
Many social media users practice boosting the reality of their lives by posting
things that make them appear more desirable to be with. People just want to
measure up.
Those with less social confidence can easily see themselves as having less
worth than others. Being constantly reminded that your life may not measure up
to so many others can further lower a persons self-confidence. In addition, social
media is rampant with overly critical and often hurtful interaction. These
unfriendly exchanges can take place so much more easily when the human
element of face-to-face communication has been removed.
Such cruelty can be devastating to an already troubled individual. The feelings of
inadequacy that are caused can sometimes lead to depression.

Aside from this, there are also those people who post negative things
about people whom they have had conflicts with. There are a lot of people who

do not think thoroughly about what they are about to post. They tend to prioritize
what they feel than the effects of the act that they are about to do. Cyber
bullying also emerged because of this. There are those who blackmail people by
threatening them that they would post something embarrassing regarding that
person if they dont abide by what the cyber bully wants.

In actuality, there are more consequences that we have to face especially

parents when it comes to social media and networking issues. We have to
understand that even though that theres no stopping children from using them,
it's possible to maintain control. There are dangers, irritants, untrustworthy
processes, such as selling registration information, and there are untrustworthy
people who are active in social networking. The savvy social networker takes
time to establish solid friendships and memberships in groups, has a skeptical
mind, and holds back when prompted to give up too much personal information
or to interact with total strangers. Trying to force a child to stop using social
networking sites will probably not work too well, but a parent that is lovingly and
constantly involved in their childs life will have a much better time keeping
watch over their online activity. Through this active monitoring, one can at least
limit the negative effects.

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