Profile Essay

Aliyah Williams Composition II Mrs. Reed 2/27/13 Social Networking: More Harm than good? In today’s society one of the main ways we as humans communicate is through social networks. Social Networks such as Twitter or Facebook serve as a new and exciting way to interact over the internet and socialize. Now a day people rarely text or call due to new innovative ways such as the internet to connect with people all around the world. Individuals who are pro Social Networks would say that they promote positive ways to interact and meet new people. They would also say how exciting they are and how much of a thrill they can provide. However they fail to recognize the dangers that also come along with them. Due to all that is going on in the world anti-social network believers would say that social networks cause more harm than good due to the fact that they lead to harmful internet dating, are an excuse for people to spread rumors without being confronted, and are dangerous due to people oversharing information which can lead to unsafe internet stalkers or in person stalkers. I 100% agree with each of these three reasons, which is why I believe social Networks do cause more harm than good to society. First and Foremost the main issue in dealing with social Networks is that they lead to harmful internet dating. There are plenty of instances in the new where a person either does not appear as he or she appears to be on line or where the person wants to meet up in persona and the results can be dangerous. For example on T.V there is a new popular show called “Catfish”, basically this show focuses on the truths and lies about internet dating. During the series of this show, there have been instances where two individuals have met up and person and in almost every case one or both of the two individuals who were dating have not appeared to be who he or he was pretending to be over the internet. A "catfish" is a person who creates fake profiles online and pretends to be someone they are not by using someone else 's pictures and information. These "catfish" use social media sites like Facebook and Twitter, usually with the intention of getting other people or a person to fall in love with them. (Cat Fish T.V). This situation actually happened to the host of the show Nev Schulman who discovered the woman he 'd been carrying on an online relationship with was, in fact, a catfish or in other words a fake. The point of this show is to let other online couples know if the person they have had a relationship with and fallen in love with is the real deal or if they are a "catfish." Some couples have been together for a few months, others have been together for years. As you can see due to Social Networks you never really know who you are communicating with and they serve as a gateway to harmful internet dating which can lead to a misjudgment of an individual. With internet dating people end up wasting a lot of time and effort on a “Catfish” when they would be spending their time on something more promising like a real relationship. This is a perfect example of how they can cause more harm than good. Secondly another down fall to Social Networks is that they are an excuse for people to spread rumors without being confronted in person. Although social Networks can be fun and exciting, they can provide a way for people to spread lies about people and say hurtful things. Some of us may be more sensitive than others and depending on how we handle criticism or rejection social networks can damage a person’s reputation and hurt feelings. In the news there continue to be countless occurrences of people who either committed suicide or were on suicide watch due to hurtful things people said over the internet on Social Networks. At times people don’t realize how sensitive others are and how hurtful words can actually be. In the case of 14 year old Eden Wormer from Vancouver, Washington, she committed suicide after being a victim of online bullying for 2 years. Eden’s family told ABC News affiliate KATU that she committed suicide after two years of being bullied by girls in her class. She often times changed her appearance in effort to fit in. Eden begged her older sister Audri not to report the bullying because she thought it would only make the problem of the ongoing online bullying worse. In a Feb. 12 post, she wrote: "omg I’m such a loner I don’t have a valentines n the only thing I’m celebrating Valentine’s Day with is my bummble bee pillow pet. Like this if u have no valentines too or if u wanna be my valentine. :)". Previously after writing this post, the ridiculing and harsh comments online continued. Due to the fact that she did not have a Valentine on Valentine’s Day, Eden may have felt alone and very insecure. This can be very special to most teenagers now a days. As the ridiculing and bullying went on, Eden Wormer couldn’t take it anymore and on March 18th 2009 Eden Wormer ended her life (Bullied Teen). Here is a perfect example of how Social Networks play a huge role in suicide. This case of Eden Warmer could have been prevented in many ways in which another life didn’t need to be lost to due online bullying through social networks. Here Social Networks provided an easy and convenient way for people to bully and spread rumors without being confronted in person. Therefore they cause more harm than good. Third of all depending on what people in society choose to share over the internet, Social Networks can be dangerous due to the fact that oversharing information can lead to stalkers both online and in person. Hopefully some of us are smarter than others, but for the people who do not consider the harms and dangers that social networks can bring, they ought to watch what they put up online for everyone across the world to see. For instance on twitter, MySpace, and Facebook people like to communicate, meet new people, and socialize. Often time people find individuals who they really connect with and want to meet up in person. This is where over sharing comes in because people will share addresses, telephone numbers, and locations with these complete strangers that they meet online. This is dangerous because this can lead to people who you completely know nothing about now having locations of where you will be at all times. If someone knows your location at the exact time there is no telling what he or she can do in person without you even knowing it. Someone could be following you and you are clueless about what’s going on. One way to prevent anything from going wrong and to avoid any of those stalkers out there is to be cautious of what you leak to the internet. You can even install programs that will warn you of any suspicious activity. For instance you can set up software that will warn you if any sensitive words or numbers (like phone numbers, addresses, dates of birth, passwords, etc.) are entered onto a web page. This is a simple approach you can use to prevent online stalking (Mashable online stalking). Programs like these are used to prevent harmful on line or in person stalkers and promote ways for social networks to cause more good instead of their usual harm. In conclusion social networks can be fun and exciting. They can serve as ways for people to branch out, socialize and meet new friends over the internet. However people fail to realize all the dangers and harms that they can cause. Social Networks lead to harmful internet dating, are an excuse for people to spread rumors without being confronted, and are dangerous due to people oversharing information which can lead to unsafe internet stalkers or in person stalkers. Due to each of these reasons I believe social Networks cause more harm than good.

Works Cited "Mashable." Mashable. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

TAYLOR, MARISA. "Bullied Teen Hangs Self After Writing She Loves 'All My Haterz '" ABC News. ABC News Network, 09 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

"TV Show 'Catfish ' Focuses on Fake Internet Relationships." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.

Cited: "Mashable." Mashable. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. TAYLOR, MARISA. "Bullied Teen Hangs Self After Writing She Loves 'All My Haterz '" ABC News. ABC News Network, 09 Mar. 2012. Web. 26 Feb. 2013. "TV Show 'Catfish ' Focuses on Fake Internet Relationships." CNN. Cable News Network, 17 Jan. 2013. Web. 26 Feb. 2013.