Double-edged sword of social media

Social media is a world within a world, and for those who were born in the 21st century, technology is nothing but a natural phenomenon. Cell phones, iPods, and video games are practically inevitable for teens and young adults. Along with these technologies comes social media networking, which is part of the daily routine for many. Social networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and MySpace have millions of visitors daily.
Facebook alone has over one billion users, making it the most popular social networking website on Earth. Research conducted by Facebook shows that 50 per cent of its users are active users who log on daily and spend over 700 billion minutes per month on the site. There is no doubt that social media and social networking are here to stay; however, added to these “natural” luxuries are risks and dangers.
While these sites’ open dialogue allows individuals to express themselves, there must be some amount of user censorship, not necessarily by the domain host but rather by the individuals themselves. Creating a profile and giving details about yourself, hobbies, and educational background are all acceptable; however, for many, every aspect of their day, work, and lives is posted.
Like driving, users of social media should be cognisant of the five Cs – Caution, Care, Common Sense, Courtesy, and Consideration – as many of the things posted can arise in the future to haunt them. Only recently, it was observed locally that a number of young people were posting on social media their intent to resign from their current place of employment. Common sense – one of the five Cs – would indicate that such information is personal and should not be posted on a social network, as such behaviours can stymie future employment.
What if the situation changed and that person needed to stay at their current place of employment? What if an intended employer conducts a social media search and sees such uncouth behaviour? It is thought-provoking that an employee can overlook their posting on any social networking site and talk their way out of potential employment.
It seems as though these consequences are often not on the minds of teens and young adults when they take to the social media world to express themselves. Interestingly, many young people do not take into account or acknowledge the dangers of such postings on social networking sites since, to them, all the social sites seem innocent.
Recent research has shown that one of the greatest impacts of social networking is on the social skills of people. According to a BBC report, while on one hand, social networking sites seem to bring people together and keep them connected, on the other hand, they create social isolation.
Research has shown that older generations of networkers learned how to communicate and interact long before networking was even a thought, but much of the younger generation does not interact socially. According to the report, social networking has created a serious breach in the ability of young people to communicate and interact with each other.
It is clear that there is evidence suggesting that social networking can be risky to a dangerous extent, but it is an area that cannot be ignored, as it is the driving force of the world today. Like the many pleasures of life, social networking can be beneficial in moderation; however, unfortunately, moderation and the social media world do not coincide in society. As such, all one can hope for is that young people have a deeper understanding and are conscious of what they are posting on social media, taking into consideration its impact today, tomorrow, and years ahead.