社交网络的缺陷——Social Networking Sites

Nowadays it seems that human beings have already become the slave of phones, especially of their social networking sites (SNSs). Social networking sites are web-based services which allow viewers to connect with others like Facebook, Wechat and Twitter etc. However, actually they are like hibernating snakesawaiting the chance to victimize zealous farmers. Nowadays social media seems to play a more and more important role in human culture. Information and opinions rely on online platform to spread. Yet, every coin has two sides. SNSs also have its negative impact on the world. In my view, drawbacks of SNSs have overweight their advantages. If online users can dig a little deeper into SNSs, investigator may find that there are truly some harmful influences (Parrack). Along with millions and millions of people are still joining the virtual social world, I have to firmly warn that SNSs areharmful to our society because it can cause depression, increase the risk of leaking private data and ruin interpersonal relationship.

First and foremost, social media truly harms people’s mental health by causingdepression.Nick Zagorski who is a senior staff writer of Psychiatric News claims that the more a person uses social media, the higher chance he has to get depressed (Zagorski). Several times people envy others after seeing others’ colorful and successful lives. Gradually people begin to feel inferior. Finally they fall ill. Coincidentally,Dr.Jeff Nalin, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, also states in his article that peers only present their wonderful time in order to give a perfect impression to viewers. Unconsciously, people become more and moredepressed (Nalin). In fact, life is like whether which has shiny days as well as bleak time. Nervelessness, SNSs offer a platform to conceal those bad days which makes dispirited individuals’ condition worse. In sum, SNSs contributes to the incidence of depression.

Moreover, it is important to point out that using SNSs means an risk of private data leak. When people comment on some platforms, it can be traced later by some measures. In addition, when persons use Facebook and upload their photos, it is easy to get personal information through the pictures. Hackers even are able to know an individual’s family members through the online data. More importantly, people do not pay attention to their words on the internet causing some miseries. Last year, a Mexican YouTube star called Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales was murdered by a notorious drug lord just because he insulted the lord online in a video (Birchall). Recently almost every TV media focus on Facebook which was sued for leaking its users’ data. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS reported that Facebook thought it was not a problem knowing that a data-mining company  improperly obtained private data from millions of users (“Audit Clears Facebook”). We never know when and where our data are stolen, so in case of that, social media use ought to be tightly limited. 

Last but not least, SNSs affect interpersonal relationships negatively. Nowthink about why people use social media networking sites and fall in love with it crazily. Have you ever had a moment to figure out how did human spend time in the era without internet? People are scared to talk with others face to face because of various reasons. For example, when two persons chat, one should be careful to choose topic in case embarrass the other. Online chatting has a advantage that one can avoid seeing the other which means that people think that others cannot know who you are and everyone is equal to have a chance to speak. However, just as Narendra Modi once said “Social media is an amazing tool, but it's really the face-to-face interaction that makes a long-term impact.” If human become the slave of internet, gradually they forget how to communicate. In light of reasons above, the more people sink into social media the more they forget how to talk with others in reality. Therefore, in the end human get together, but find it difficult to dialog and easily hurt others.

Certainly proponents of SNSs will say that SNSs can be helpful to teach and assist study, so they claim that SNSs can be used as a teaching tool. The reason is that teachers can use SNSs such as We-Chat to socially connect with students and cooperate with parents. That statement may be true. On the one hand, if students feel confused about knowledge taught today, they can communicate with teachers later in the We-Chat group. On the other hand, if teachers forgot to tell students something, educators can make up their faults by uploading information in the online chatting groups. However, in my view SNSs should be considered as an entertainment tool rather than the substitution of real face to face class. There is a mistake in the proponents’ claim which consider popularity equals quality. Temporary curiosity cannot determine its true effect. Therefore, people cannot easily consider SNSs helpful to assist in learning just because it is appealing. First of all, parents may lie to teachers because of doting on their kids. It is common that sometimes kids are not willing to go to school and they will supplicate parents not let them go. Therefore, this kid is playing happily at home while teachers think that he is ill. Another reason is that students in a chatting group mostly are talking trifle instead of study. Teachers are not hackers. They cannot spy and control students in a distant place. Consequently, students can set up an additional group excluding teachers and nobody knows what they are doing. Also, teachers who use online tests may fail because learners will do collusive cheating. Rowe Neil C. indicates three problems about online course assessment including pre-knowing answers, unfair retaking and unauthorized help are obstacles for online teaching (2). all these three problems have some relation with the use of SNSs. Hence, I think using SNSs in education realm is distractive and just causes inefficiency.

Another point made by supporters of SNSs is that there is a great convenience for users to meet people and get interesting information. Surely itis partially right that SNSs provide aeasier way to get interesting information of others and make friends. However, both the information and the person come across can be hazardous. 

Believe it or not, there are some Satans organizing online chatting groups that instigates others especially teenagers to commit suicide. “Cami D” a self-described 31-year-old female nurse urged Nadia Kajouji who was just 18 years old to die and record her final act. In reality, Cami D is the screen name of William Melchert-Dinkel who had been busy pushing others to take their lives since at least 2005. In the court, he admitted that in his suicide chatting room five or six people have committed suicide with his assistance (Gomez). Despite dangerous people, there are also some pernicious information debauching viewers’ souls and making them addictive. Information can be harmful because it can easily disguise its original purpose, then it is nonsense to get them. For example, one can spread erotic information in its social media account and all visitors can look through it which is not good for general mood of society and harmful for young generation. Snapchat is such a social platform. Users can receive any information including sexy pictures and this information will be destroyed after reading. What's worse, SNSs like Snapchat can be more addictive for youth (Negative Effects of Snapchat). Therefore, I strongly argue that the use of SNSs should be strictly controlled.

In conclusion, we admit the convenience bringing by social networking sites, but in light of the reasons mentioned above, it turns out that SNSs are bad for society. SNSs can have a bad influence on individuals’ emotions which even causes depression. Additionally, using social networking sits leads to data lead and confounding real personal relations. Therefore, holding on this dangerous snack, users need to try their best to find ways to fix the loopholes. Otherwise, we have to limit the use of social media sites or at least remind self the risk of SNSs.

Works cited

“Audit Clears Facebook Despite Cambridge Analytica Leaks” DAILY NEWS, http://www.nydailynews.com/newswires/news/business/audit-clears-facebook-cambridge-analytica-leaks-article-1.3945245. THE ASSOCIATED PRESS. Accessed 21 April 2018.

Birchall, Guy. “YOUTUBER KILLED Juan Luis Lagunas Rosales Dead at 17 ” The Sun, https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5190123/juan-luis-lagunas-rosales-dead-after-taunting-drug-lord-el-mencho/. Accessed 22 April 2018.

C, Neil Rowe. “Cheating in Online Student Assessment: Beyond Plagiarism.” Monterey, California. Naval Postgraduate School, 9 Sept 2013. pp. 2.

Gomez, Patrick. “Inside the Tragic Death of Nadia Kajouji: A Teen Pushed to Suicide by an Online Predator” People Crime, http://people.com/crime/suicide-chat-room-tragedy-inside-nadia-kajoujis-death/. Accessed 22 April 2018. 

Nalin, Jeff. “Social Media and Teen Depression: The Two Go Hand-In-Hand.” ANXIETY AND DEPRESSIONO ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA, par.4, https://adaa.org/learn-from-us/from-the-experts/blog-posts/consumer/social-media-and-teen-depression-two-go-hand. Accessed 22 April 2018. 

“Negative Effects of Snapchat For Teens SmartSocial.com” YouTube, uploaded by Smart Social, 5 Mar 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeCjHYI8cC4.

Parrack, Dave. “The Negative Impact of Social Networking Sites on Society” MakeUseOf. https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/negative-impact-social-networking-sites-society-opinion/. Accessed 1 May 2018.

Zagorski, Nick. “Using Many Social Media Platforms Linked With Depression, Anxiety Risk.” PSYCHIATRIC NEWS, par.4, https://psychnews.psychiatryonline.org/doi/full/10.1176/appi.pn.2017.1b16. Accessed 22 April 2018.