Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Social networking poses risks

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Millions of children are entering the cyberspace each day to make friends, exchange views conduct research and build relationships. Kids as young as eight to 10 years old are connecting through wireless networks and using cellular phones.


   Social media attract a multitude of followers all over the world. Facebook claims it has more than 350 million fans while Twitter has another 300 million. Other networks such as Friendster, Myspace, Sina Weibo and Tumblr are winning over a growing number of followers.


   Email, SMS and social networking have changed the lives of individuals, communities and organisations.They have also altered the ways people interface, think, study and work.


   Social networking on-the-go is increasing popular. Users connect through mobile devices such as smartphones and tablet models. This form of mobile communication is catching on in the US, UK, Spain, France Germany and Japan.


   YouTube can be accessed by any Internet user in 30 languages. Its regular viewers exceed 330 million per month.


Top social media choice


   Statistics can be revealing and surprising. They denote user habits, technological trends, demographics and product or service appeal.


   In Malaysia, which boasts a population of 17.5 Internet users, Facebook is the top social networking choice with 12.3 million Malaysian fans.. It draws local followers from all walks of life who communicate with fellow fans, netizens and bloggers of all ages, companies such as AirAsia (with 1.3 million users) and McDonald's (1 million), and celebrities like Lady Gaga (20 million worldwide) and Britney Spears (10 million).   


   Twitter, which came on the social media scene in 2007 -- three years later than Facebook --  
appeals to members from all strata of society, notably teenagers in the 12-17 age group. It has 1.3 million members in Malaysia, including Prime Minister Najib Razak who has nearly 420,000 followers.


    The mind boggles at the thought of the speed of communication in only a few seconds. For instance, in less than one day, the Prime Minister received 24,000 protests -- or  nearly 1,000 per hour --- against his proposed 1Malaysia email account initiative. Each day, Twitter handles 1.6 billion search enquiries worldwide.


   At a click of the mouse, students in primary and secondary schools can interact online with strangers, new acquaintances and friends. For scandals, social gossips, films and news about the rich and famous, they can also surf YouTube, which is sometimes used for rumour-mongering and sex exposes. 


Online abuse by the young


   The language the young text or use online, a mixture of abbreviations, initialisms, acronyms and numbers,  can be baffling to parents. Even teachers are not familiar with terms such as LYLC (Love you like crazy), TIR (Teacher in room), CD9 (parents are watching) and 459 (I love you).


   Most parents do not keep tabs on what their children are writing, who their contacts are or whether they are being lured into crime. In their absence at home, the young can spend five to seven hours chatting online. Even students patronize Internet cafes during and after school hours without the knowledge of parents and teachers.


   The alarm bells sound when the youngsters start using expletives, calling people names and spreading rumours. They can even upload scandalous reports and offensive pictures on YouTube.


   A large number of students in secondary schools have created their own blogs. Without parental control or knowledge, the young bloggers can post a variety of topics, some of which may be malicious or sensitive. 


   A number of bloggers are known for concocting stories and making unjustified accusations against innocent parties. If their intention is to gain attention and popularity, it is a grossly malignant act that reveals their questionable character and vile motives. Maybe it is a premeditated, sinister move to foment hatred, disharmony or disunity. Whatever the aim may be, it cannot be condoned.


   Parents not Internet-savvy


   At times these bloggers do not think rationally before they air their personal views. As a result, they are sued or prosecuted.

   Parents hardly check their children's text messages which can be sent in 10 seconds. They also do not know the persons their children are contacting.

   More disturbing is the fact that some parents are not conversant with the Internet applications! The young ones are however versed in creating email accounts through Yahoo and Gmail, and surfing social networking sites.

   Children are increasingly curious when they reach 14 or 15, the age of self-discovery. That is the time when they access pornographic material online simply by typing key link words like “sex” or “pornography.” This burning curiosity stems from the lack of sex education in school or at home.  


   There is a growing concern over cyberspace misuse as more and more advertisers, bloggers and netizens communicate online. With the flood of ads, comments, and messages through social networking channels, SMS and email, it is an uphill task to keep track of the high-speed communication.

   The usual rule is self-censorship based on ethics, personal judgment and taste. There are also cyberlaws that users have to comply with. However, violations are evident as unscrupulous and attention-seeking people make false claims and wild allegations without justification, use foul language and express their frustrations randomly.

   The only deterrents against the offenders are close monitoring and strict enforcement, which have yet to be implemented. However, the cyberspace is wireless and often faceless. False rumours and malicious statements sometimes seep through and grab the headlines, locally and internationally.


   With the convergence of information and communication technologies on mobile phones, the young can access almost everything under the sun. The likelihood is that they will abuse the privilege.   

   The authorities, parents and teachers have to educate young users on the dangers and misuse. Freedom without any restraint or self-control can be abused.


   The usual preventive measures are close surveillance, imposition of house rules and understanding of borderless hazards. Before such steps can be taken, however, parents, guardians and teachers have to be technology-savvy in light of the plethora of newfangled gadgets on the market. 

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