The Dangers of Social Networking Sites

You may laugh at this statement but I recently got broadband in my home. Prior to this my internet access was very limited. Checking emails was not something I did as it involved a trip to the local library and queuing to use a PC. As for social networking, I don't think I even knew what the word meant!

Since having ready access to the internet in my own home, I have joined a number of social networking sites e.g. Facebook, Bebo, Twitter. I will be the first to say there are many advantages to Social Networking such as rekindling old friendships, free contact with friends in other countries and of course keeping up with the gossip!

 However, advantages aside, I do think there are many disadvantages and dangers also. Some of these may be obvious and I'm not suggesting they outweigh the advantages but they certainly exist.

The first obvious danger that everyone is or should be aware of is giving out private information. On some of these social networking sites, you can give your name, address, contact numbers, email address - the list is endless, you can also upload photos. The danger of this, is that if you are not careful about your privacy or account settings anyone can see your personal information and your photos. Don't get me wrong, I upload photos to my Facebook page but I have my privacy settings set so that only my friends can see the photos. I don't add friends or accept friend requests unless I know the person and trust them. I know you might think that I am a bit crazy and that this is going too far but these are photos of me, my family and I don't want some paedophile coming across them and why should complete strangers have access to such intimate moments in my life. Also, giving personal information such as address or phone number is only asking for trouble if you don't monitor who is accessing your page. What happens if someone becomes so obsessed with you, you become an object of their affection and they start stalking you - it has happened before. As has cyber bullying. Yes, these are worst case scenarios but they can and have and will happen. They are something to be mindful of. We need to protect ourselves against these.

The other major danger which you may think is comic and not serious is addiction. There are numerous addictions in the world today - drink, drugs, sex, gambling. Another addicition is to social networking and I know how easlily it can happen. I won't say I am addicted or was addicted but I was certainly on the verge of addcition to Facebook at one stage. It only took a few days but it was enough. I found myself wondering when I would next be home to check Facebook, I started accessing it using my mobile and it cost me a small fortune - a euro per day. That may not seem a lot to people but for someone who only topped up her moble by twenty euro per month and this credit last a month for calls and texts, it was suddenly being used up for checking out Facebook. I noticed when I was off work sick for a few weeks, I spent my days online checking people's statuses, completing quizzes, getting online predictions from 'psychics' all courtesy of my Facebook account. I am not saying it's wrong and it shouldn't exist, I am merely pointing out how easlily it is to allow it rule your life. I soon copped on I was spending too much time on Facebook and now I check it once a day along with my emails and if I don't check it, i know it's not the end of the world.

I know people who are addicted and it is no exaggeration.  They live to update their status on their social networking page, they update it every half hour. They are constantly online to check other people's updates. Their addiction or obsession is eating into their job and affecting how they do their jobs.

There are also those people who create a fantasy world on their social networking page. There is a difference between having a harmless fantasy about winning the lotto, getting your dream job, meeting the one but it becomes harmful when you actually believe you are living your fantasy. So many people live a total different life on their social networking page and find it difficult to adjust to normality when they log off. This is leading to depression, personality issues and who knows what other problems in the long run.

 I'd like to think that by reading this hub you will think twice about these dangers and not be one of the unlucky who becomes addicted, is stalked, bullied, fools themself into believing they have the perfect life. Don't let this hub scare you but be aware and be safe & happy whilst social networking.