Reasearch essay

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The Curses of the Growth of Social Networking Sites

Over the past few years, technology has developed and changed the way people communicate. With the development of the Internet and the associated infrastructure technologies, many social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter and MySpace have emerged. These platforms allow the users to share their personal information and get connected with their friends around the globe. Currently, there has been a tremendous growth in cyber social networking. The popularity of using online social networks as a mean of communication has spread very quickly among the online users. It has almost become a daily activity in many people’s life. This phenomenon sparks much debate about the adverse effects of social networking. This essay will discuss the negative impacts of online social networking.

The first and perhaps most disturbing problem would be a rapid growth in radical and hate groups. Due to the wide use of social networks, they attract many cyber criminals. In support of the above fact, a researcher claims that the number of hate groups on social networks rose by 20 percent last year (Reuters, 2010). Examples of anti-social groups on Facebook include “National Kick a Ginger Day” and “I Love Curry Bashing” (Reuters, 2010). In the case of the first group, the idea of establishing a National Kick a Ginger Day group was derived from a group of people who do not favor children with fair skin and red hair (National Kick a Ginger Day, 2008). The other site, I Love Curry Bashing, was formed by a racist group who are against Indians. Clearly, both social groups create a problem of discrimination. This causes conflicts such as in the case of a fourteen years old boy with red hair who was bullied during the National Kick a Ginger Day held in 2008, leading to his truancy (National Kick a Ginger Day, 2008). “Terrorism and intolerance start with words, but they grow into actions” (Carolyn, 2010). Moreover, social network sites can be a source of harassment and cyber bullying. The cyber bullying rate has increased by leaps and bounds. One of the most frequent reasons is that teenagers tend to over-share personal information such as their address, age, occupation and photos on social sites. Consequently, they may end up finding themselves having a personal life problem. One instance of cyber bullying is the case of Keeley Houghton allegedly posting a malicious message on Facebook and harassing other people. (Burgee, 2009)

Furthermore, there are signs of social network addiction. In the present age, online social addiction seems to be a major problem among online users. These social networks are based on the concept of a virtual world. Therefore, it has been suggested that many online users have a problem of interpersonal skills which makes their lives more difficult. For example, Conor (2010) identified that social network sites like Facebook reduce the opportunity for two people to get to know about each other through face-to-face contact. In addition, online social addiction can hurt real-life relationships. For instance, most online social addicts are likely to be alienated from their family and group of friends. Recently, research on the effect of social networks found that those users who spend most of their time on social networks tend to have a problem with their real-life relationship (Jayson, 2009). Eventually, the users become dependent on online social networks and find it difficult to give up online networking.

Moreover, there are also many health issues regarding the excessive use of online social networks. Social networking affects both mental and physical well being. Firstly, Internet relationships are considered to be short term relationships, which later on might lead to the problems of loneliness and isolation (Sigman, p15, 2009). To support the fact, Dr. Sigman states that children are now spending most of their time in front of the screen, undermining the influence of parents (2009). In the long run, it may lead to the formation of mental illnesses such as a depression disorder. Interestingly, changing the way of social contact from face-to-face to social networking via a computer can lead directly to the medical condition known as the Alternation of Tumor Necrosis Factor Alpha (TNF-alpha), which can greatly increase the risk of cancer (Sigman, p16, 2009). Also, it can lead to the development of other disorder, such as Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity (ADDH) and Autism, owing to the fact that every task can be done through the click of a mouse (Derbyshire & Minow, 2009). Susan Greenfield has commented that although social networking tools such as Facebook and Twitter may bring comfort into children’s lives, they also inactivate the working part of their brain. Likewise, an excessive amount of time spent on social sites inevitably reduces the time available for other activities in life, such as doing exercise, doing schoolwork and engaging in face-to-face interaction with others.

To recapitulate, the remarkable growth in the use of social networks as a means of communication can create many harmful effects to both users and society. At the same time, there is a decline in direct human contact, which leads to numerous problems. From my point of view, social networks act as a two edged sword; in other words, they have both positive and negative effects, depending on the usage. I personally believe in the old saying that “an excess of everything is bad.” Therefore, people should use these tools wisely in order to maximize the benefits while enhancing the effectiveness of their communications.