Dangers of FaceBook and MySpace

FaceBook and MySpace are used to bring people all over the world closer together. They are social networking sites where people can post about themselves as well as meet new people. These sites are a way for those who have busy and hectic schedules to keep in touch. Users can also find old friends, some with whom they haven’t talked with since high school. However, these sites are not as perfect as they seem. A major issue with online social networking sites is cyber bullying. According to Wikipedia, cyber bullying involves a situation where a person is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed or otherwise targeted. This type of harassment was made all too public back in 2008 when Lori Drew, 49, was charged with multiple crimes including conspiracy in the 2006 death of Megan Meier, 13. Drew posed on MySpace as a 16 year old boy name Josh Evans who started a relationship with Meier. Then, she proceeded to tell Meier that the relationship was over and that the world would be better off without her. Meier committed suicide in October 2006 by hanging herself. Not until 2008, though, was Drew indicted. Cyber bullying also involves harassment and stalking. This is especially so with victims of stalking and domestic violence in everyday life. Those who are already victims are now being monitored and stalked online. Attackers are also looking up blogs and posts from other people to find out what the victims are doing. This is becoming very serious because restraining orders are not covering this type of stalking.

Another issue with FaceBook and MySpace is identity theft. Identify theft has become a major issue, especially with the amount of information that can be easily given. For instance, many of these websites ask for very personal information such as first and last name, address, high school/college information, etc. While this is extremely useful in finding long lost friends, this information can end up in the wrong hands. Hackers can enter these sites and steal this very valuable information. This is especially true with the younger generation who do not know better. Another type of identity theft involves users creating false identities in order to further their own needs. In 2008, worm writers used fake accounts to spread their worms throughout the internet. These worms were used to in order to get valuable information from other users’ computers without them even knowing. Worms are not like virus. They do not “attack’ the computer and the user usually has no idea that they are even there. The worms travel through these social networking sites on to computers. Once they are burrow in the computers, they wait for commands from their creators, which allow information to be gained off the computers. This really is a major issue because many users, especially those who are younger and do not know about these dangers are being targeted. The younger generation is especially vulnerable because all they think about is making more friends online. They do not realize that not everyone on the internet is out to make friends. Unfortunately, too many people are out to cause harm. This is a lesson that we all need to learn.

The Internet and the 2010 Election

More and more people are becoming Internet savvy. The Internet is used so much in everyday life that it is impossible to not be bombarded with news stories and ads as soon as one logs on. When election times come around, all viewers see when logging on to the Internet are stories about politicians. In fact, according to a 2008 article, The Internet Gains in Politics, "Nearly a quarter of Americans (24%) say they regularly learn something about the campaign from the Internet, almost double the percentage from a comparable point in the 2004 campaign (13%)" (http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/The-Internet-Gains-in-Politics.aspx). This just continues to prove that the Internet is becoming used more and more often for various activities. The Internet is used by all age groups which helps get the younger generation more involved in the elections. Users can now post questions and answer as well as keep up to date information on what is happening in the elections.

To make things more interesting, there are new and different sites available. With all the new sites out there such as YouTube and Twitter, these news stories take on new meanings. Now, not only are the articles in black and white words, but there are videos and pictures to back them up. When it comes to elections and campaigns, they are now taking on new meanings. For those who are trying to video tape the good of one politician and the bad of another, YouTube is the perfect place to post those videos. If someone follows his favorite politician around taping all the good that the politician does, he will then he able to post it on YouTube for everyone to see. The same goes for the opposite, if you despise a politician and follow him around long enough, he is bound to do something inappropriate. This can also be posted on YouTube. These videos are going to affect the way the public votes based on what the videos show. Videos can also be altered to make scenarios look worse than they really are. However, either way they are viewed, the votes will be affected. YouTube can also be used to post ads about politicians. Television ads have certain restrictions on them where Internet posts on YouTube do not. Anyone can post on YouTube and therefore there will be more and more campaigning done on-line as opposed to on the computer.

Twitter also allows politicians to post their points-of-view. They will be able to tell things the way they want them told. Fans will be able to follow their favorite politicians to find out what they are doing. It will make the fans feel more connected to and more apt to vote for the politician of their liking. Fans will be able to show their support for their favorite politicians and help to persuade others to vote for their favorite. Twitter will keep users up to date on everything that is happening.

Election campaigning uses everything possible in order to make the biggest impression. It does not matter if the elections are local, state, or federal. Either way, the Internet will have an impact. This may be as simple as keeping the public informed. However, even more so the Internet is used to bring the opponent down while bringing another politician up. No matter what the outcome of the election, it is guaranteed that the Internet had some affect on the outcome.