As the Internet has become a more popular in recent years, new uses of the technology have sprung up. The Web is a valuable resource for people looking for information, or to communicate. Another prevalent use that has surged in recent years is the social networking site. Social networking is becoming an increasingly more popular way for individuals to meet others. With sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and even the numerous dating sites, like eHarmony, people around the world are connecting in ways that are unprecedented. There are, of course, risks that come with the rise of such sites. Most of these problems stem from the fact that the user can essentially choose how they want to present themselves and, to an extent, who they want to be. Using social networking sites allows the user to have a higher degree on anonymity. For some, this anonymity is why social networking sites is an attractive option when compared to face-to-face interaction, but for others, it allows for risky and even dangerous behavior.
For many, the fact that the Internet allows for such anonymity is one of the best features of the technology. A new phenomenon has emerged in the role-playing game, abbreviated as RPG, in which users can log onto accounts from their computers and, under an alias, interact with other users. One of the most popular RPGs currently is World of Warcraft, which connects users all around the world and allows them to literally speak to each other about their actions in the game. Users create characters through which they can interact with others. By using the context and setting of the game, “they provide something for other players to talk about” (Schiesel). Though World of Warcraft is a game that connects users, the fact that individuals are usually not personally familiar may impede conversation. So, by providing users with something to talk about that they share, RPGs create common ground upon which it is much easier for individuals to interact. In the case of role-playing games, the anonymity is overcome by the common experience all users have in their knowledge and participation in the game they are playing.
The anonymity of social networks has also proved to be a benefit for those who may suffering from illness, and are using the sites as a way to connect with others who are as well. In many cases, disease and illness can be sensitive subjects for the victims, and so social networks provide a medium on which they can get the information they need without having to expose themselves. “Say you’re battling an illness…and you don’t exactly want to share it with the world…you might well want to talk it through with other people in a similar boat. The Experience Project lets you find these people, and share stories” (Needleman). The Experience Project is just one example of the numerous social networking sites that allow for users to anonymously log on and contact each other. In this way, individuals who may not be comfortable divulging their secrets, or their illness, to anyone in person can instantly connect with another user who shares their experiences. Anonymity, then, creates something of a supportive environment in which people can connect and create bonds without the embarrassment or fear that sometimes accompanies face-to-face interaction. Though there are clear benefits to using a completely anonymous social network, there are also great risks that come along with the sites.
One of the dangers of the anonymity that comes with using a social networking site is that dishonesty is allowed to run rampant. On dating sites, for example, there is nothing preventing a user from completely lying about their identity. One of the problems with such sites is the lack of trust. In the New York Times article “Online Dating Sheds Its Stigma as Losers.com,” many users confess to lying about certain physical traits in order to attract a user of the opposite sex. It has become, however, a seemingly accepted aspect of the online dating phenomenon. Users say they have learned to take the information and descriptions they receive with a grain of salt. However, for some, “after enough of such encounters, many online daters burn out” (Harmon). Though the lies are an issue, they are not as big of a problem as many of the other comforts anonymity affords. In other cases, deception proves to be worse than a simple inconvenience. Sometimes, such behavior can be dangerous.
One recent trend that has come along with social networking is the fact that predators appear to be using these sites to attempt to attract underage users. Apparently, “a wave of news reports [suggests] that predators monitor chat rooms and Web sites like MySpace.com for potential victims” (Bahney). There is no real enforcement for users of these social networking sites. Individuals can create different information, and establish new identities, simply for the sake of the site. This means that any user can claim to be anyone they choose. On these sites, individuals can claim to be anything they want, essentially creating a new identity for themselves with each new user name. One of the biggest fears that has begun to emerge is the fact that sex offenders could be using social networks to target new victims. The threat is that “convicted sex offenders could easily use a computer at an Internet cafe to create an anonymous e-mail account and use it to register on a social networking site” (Hunt). Even individuals like sex offenders, who are registered and watched extremely closely by the government, are capable of using social networking sites to their advantage. However, the government is fighting back against these threats by becoming anonymous users themselves, with concealed identities that will help them catch predators.
The most common way the authorities go about attempting to catch and detain these online predators is by creating circumstances that would lure the users into a police trap. Just as the individuals who want to use the social networking sites to find potential victims, individuals looking to prevent this behavior can also use anonymity to their advantage. On the popular Dateline NBC show called, “To Catch a Predator,” “members of a nonprofit group…pose as young boys and girls in online chats to lure unsuspecting creeps to a house rigged with cameras” (Zeller Jr.). Whereas the anonymous nature of social networking presents a threat to those who may not be taking proper precautions against online predators, it also presents others with the chance to stop such behavior. Currently, Congress is hoping to reduce the frequency of Internet predators to a higher degree by passing a bill that requires sex offenders to register their email addresses. In addition, under the bill, web users who lie about their age in attempts to meet minors may face “up to 20 years in prison” (Hunt).
Though shows like “To Catch a Predator” are helping to make the public more aware of the dangers that come with social networks, they are also creating a greater sense of paranoia around the community. More often than not, parents feel threatened and worried by the prospect of their child using the Internet to interact with others. However, for children who have grown up in the age of technology, the necessary precautions may seem second nature. “If kids follow their instincts and the same common sense they'd use walking to school or going to the mall, it is remarkably safe” (Zeller Jr.). Some even go as far as to call the Dateline show, “a complete and utter tipping point” (Bahney). Whether or not the hype and fear about the threat of anonymous interaction online is legitimate, a great amount of concern has arisen due to the simple fact that the users are essentially faceless.
Whether social networking is truly a threat to users, and, especially, unwitting minors, the fact remains that the interaction is, to whatever degree the user chooses, anonymous. The use of the word “site”, then, in describing these social networks would appear to be inappropriate. A “site” implies that something is physically present; it implies a location or position. Similarly, the use of the word “surf” to describe the process of using the Web implies that there is some sort of physical movement. So in what ways are social networks “sites”? The word has become an extremely common one as the Internet has become more and more popular. People commonly refer to websites they spend time reviewing. However, “site” is not a word that appropriately describes the true nature of these anonymous networks and interactions. Suggesting a physical location entails that there is some sort of interaction that is more than just words being exchanged. “Site” implies face-to-face, material contact. Perhaps the word is used, then, to legitimize the use of social networks. By providing them with a false sense of substance, users have created another kind of world in which they can interact.
The fact that Internet use has sprung up so quickly has left many individuals, parents and users, unprepared for the ramifications and possible dangers that are associated with social networking. Until there is some sort of enforcement for individuals to be completely truthful and honest, social networking will not be one of the best and means of communications. Because the medium has gained so many users so quickly, there has not been enough time for the creators of such sites to perfect them and make them perfectly secure. Anonymity appears to be a privilege of using such social networking sites that users with bad intentions have taken advantage of. Though there are clearly benefits to the anonymous nature of social networks, such as facilitating communication that might otherwise be difficult or impossible, there are equally as many, if not more, very dangerous risks that have not yet been appropriately addressed and solved.
Works Cited
Bahney, Anna. “Don’t Talk to Invisible Strangers.” The New York Times. 9 March 2006. 28 January 2007
Harmon, Amy. “Online Dating Sheds Its Stigma as Losers.com.” The New York Times. 29 June 2003. 28 January 2007
Hunt, Kasie. “Legistlation Aims to Track Online Predators.” E-Commerce News. 31 January 2007. 09 February 2007 < http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/55472.html>.
Landro, Laura. “Social networking comes to health care.” The Wall Street Journal. 29 December 2006. 29 January 2007
Needleman, Rafe. “Experience Project: The social network for anonymous losers.” CNet News. 14 September 2006. 12 February 2007
Saita, Anne. “Scam artists flocking to MySpace.” SearchSecurity.com. 5 April 2006. 26 January 2007
Schiesel, Seth. "Video Games Are Their Major, So Don't Call Them Slackers." The New York Times. 22 November 2005. 09 February 2007 < http://select.nytimes.com/search/ restricted/article?res=F70C17F6345A0C718EDDA809 94DD404482>.
Siklos, Richard. “A Virtual World but Real Money.” The New York Times. 19 October 2006. 24 January 2007
Zeller Jr., Tom. “LINK BY LINK; A Lesson for Parents on ‘MySpace Madness.’” The New York Times. 26 June 2006. 12 February 2007 < http://select.nytimes.com/search/ restricted/article?res=FB0815F73D540C758EDDAF0894DE404482>.
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