March 28, 2024

Devils advocate: Networking Sites be banned?

When asked this question, many people cite identity theft, social isolation, pornography and infidelity. In order to determine if these are valid points, each of these issues must be considered.
Why Parents Think Social Networking Sites should be banned

Many parents dislike social networking because they believe that sites such as MySpace and Facebook attract child predators. Others believe that cyber-bullying takes place on these sites. Still others feel that social networks distract a child from his or her school work. Will a child not be distracted in the playground? Are there no predators on the streets? These do not seem to be good reasons to ban social networking for everyone. It’s best to talk with your child about the dangers of online social networking.

The book titled Snow Crash was published in 1992 describes a futuristic society where most social interaction takes place on something known as the Metaverse. They make use of avatars, which are essentially the equivalent of today’s Internet “user names.” The avatars interact with each other in a space that is a three-dimensional representation of the real world.

Many people see Snow Crash as a book that accurately predicted the modern Internet or social network. While some see this as a good thing, others do not. In Snow Crash, the characters only had minimal face to face interaction. Most of their communication occurred in the Metaverse.

Social Networking and Social Isolation

Pros and cons of social networking involve the lack of integration with society was one of the major causes of suicide. Spending too much time on the Internet can create a dangerous sense of isolation.

Some psychologists believe that the damage goes beyond mere isolation. Apparently, some people become very addicted to online gambling, and still others to Internet pornography. However, might that same person become addicted to gambling or pornography in the so called “real world” anyway?

The more hours a person spent in cyberspace, the less time he spends in phone conversations, spending time with family and enjoying other essential social events.

Can you trust a cyber friend?

Perhaps it’s the sense of isolation that causes people to believe that social networking sites should be banned. On the other hand, people may be objecting to the false sense of being connected, which characterizes memberships to some social network sites. After all, do you really have friends if they are only in cyberspace? On the other hand, who is to judge whether or not a cyber-friend is a “real friend.
On the Internet, nobody knows who you are unless you have met them atleast once. It is one of the most common reasons why some people started believing that social networking sites should be banned. True, it’s quite easy to impersonate someone else on the web. Nonetheless, one need not be online in order to have an identity stolen, and there have been plenty of incidents involving people giving false or exaggerated identities in meetings at bars and clubs.

So what is the final conclusion? To be banned or not?

Banning social network sites would be the equivalent of burning books. Social networks may have their problems, but none are so bad that they warrant banning.