SOCIAL NETWORKING RISKS IN TERMS Of SOCIAL
Social networking sites are defined
as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or
semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other
users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list
of connections and those made by others within the system. Social sites such as
Facebook, Twitter and MySpace are a big hit nowadays; not just with the young
generation but with people of all ages.The first recognizable social network
site launched in 1997. SixDegrees.com allowed users to create profiles, list
their Friends and, beginning in 1998, surf the Friends lists. Each of these
features existed in some form before Six Degrees, of course. AIM and ICQ buddy
lists supported lists of Friends, although those Friends were not visible to
others. Classmates.com allowed people to affiliate with their high school or
college and surf the network for others who were also affiliated, but users
could not create profiles or list Friends until years later.It’s an amazing
platform for people to connect but it certainly isn’t without its dangers. It
is common to find parents, coworkers and even the elderly on the networks
across the social media world. Social networking has opened up many new
doorways for cyber-crime, and with all the people on social networks who are
completely new to technology, it is more important than ever to make sure
people are aware of the risks. Mostly, social networking brings negative
impacts to society in terms of social.[1]
There are many risks on social
networking and firstly is phishing or scams. There are a number of scammers
on social networks who may try to steal or use your personal information;
Information that can be used for potential crime such as identity theft or
fraud. There are also websites that are set up to appear to look like your
favorite social networks in order to steal your password. Once someone has your
password they can use it to destroy your profile or send out spam messages and
viruses, which could do irreparable damage to your online reputation. Always
make sure you are at the right site when you enter your credentials. Secondly
are sexual predators. Kids may not be aware that there are people who are
online that will lie about who they are so that they can harm them. Parents
need to explain that there are people online, called online sexual predators,
which are very dangerous. They may seem like a friend, and slowly get personal
information out of the child. A sexual predator’s profile will most likely
portray someone they are pretending to be, even if they have pictures.Parents
need to explain to children that it is not okay to give out personal
information about themselves to people they have met online. Sexual predators
can use any combination of personal information to find the child and harm
them. Thirdly is privacy. One reason that many people are wary of uploading
their photos or videos to a social networking site like Facebook is because
they are concerned about retaining the copyright to their work. There is a
major gray area as to who would own the materials that we upload. Someone who
might be concerned about this might be a professional photographer or a
musician who might want to share their work. Uploading photographs or music is
a great way to get a lot of potential friends to notice it, but you might want
to think about whether the network could end up owning this material. Another
controversy with Facebook is that it could be sharing your private information
with third party companies. This is why you are shown a privacy statement when
you install an application. The providers of these applications are third party
companies and websites who could be able to access your private information
such as your address or phone number.[2]
All these risks bring bad impacts
towards society. Firstly is self-centered attention-seeking. We all like to
talk about ourselves or the things which interest us, which are the most basic reason
social networking sites work. Those who shy away from doing so are unlikely to
be on Facebook or Twitter, or if they are, their accounts will likely be
sitting unloved and untouched. But there is passing on important news and
telling anecdotes that will interest people, and then there is detailing every
single aspect of your life, no matter how dull or uninteresting it may
be.Social networking sites bring out this side in many people, turning them
into crashing bores who will detail what they ate for breakfast and the manner
in which their body expelled it several hours later. Youngsters especially
could become convinced that they are more important than anyone else, and that
what they have to say should be read and responded to by a wider audience.
There is also vaguebooking, which is a crime in its own right. Secondly
is over-sharing and loss of privacy. This is perhaps the biggest impact for the
worse that social networking as a whole is having on society. The very concept
of privacy seems to be inexorably eroding, and at a fantastic pace. Those of us
who are connected to the Internet are connected 24/7, and we have immersed
ourselves in an extension of society in which privacy is not treated with the
high regard it is offline.It isn’t just social networks that are to blame for this,
but Facebook has led the way in showing how powerful a tool it can be in
coercing people to happily give up personal information. Most of us list our
full name and birthday, reveal who our family members are, share our work
history, our hobbies and interests, and even what we like and dislike. And
we’re doing so without any kind of prodding or pushing.[3]
This is some tips for positive online
social networking. Firstly, optimize the benefits such as consider
communicating with friends through social networking to maintain relationship.
Secondly, inform yourself about security options to make your personal
information secure. Thirdly, uses your profile in a positive way by communicates
with people who have similar interests and organize social events. Fourth, be
in control of your online interactions and avoid communication with negative
interactions. Besides that, don’t forget to think carefully prior to posting
other people’s personal information, including posting pictures or making
comments about them on your site. Make sure you are considering the following
questions: How well do you know them? How did they come to seek to want to be
your friend? Remember, you don’t have to accept every friend requests.Never
share personal information like your mobile phone number or address. Close
friends should already have this information.The most important is avoided
going online more than you plan. If you think you are using online networking
sites too often, think about restricting yourself to a certain amount of time
per day or week so it would not be waste of time.In a plenary talk entitled,
"Poke Me: How Social Networks Can Both Help and Harm Our Kids," Rosen
discussed potential adverse effects, including teens who use Facebook more
often show more narcissistic tendencies while young adults who have a strong
Facebook presence show more signs of other psychological disorders, including
antisocial behaviors, mania and aggressive tendencies.And lastly do not forget
to keep a clean machine because you can’t be safe and secure if the technology
you are using is vulnerable. Keep security software current by having the latest
security software, web browser, and operating system are the best defenses
against viruses, malware, and other online threats.[4]
One of the relevant stories about social
networking risk is Friendster knocked out by data center issues.Friendster was
once the largest social network in the world, and while it may have lost its
crown to MySpace and Facebook, it is still one of the largest in the world. In
November, technical problems at the datacenter where Friendster hosts its
servers caused the site to be unavailable for more than 23 hours in just three
days, making it by far the largest incident for any social network in 2008. In
the other situation, there is a hacker breaks into the Facebook account of a
financial institution employee by the name of Matt. Posing as this co-worker
Matt, the hacker then sends an email to another company employee, Sara, while
she is at work on the company PC. The message tells her that the attached files
are photos from the company Christmas party. Sara opens the message and
downloads the attachment to view the photos, but she sees nothing. Meanwhile,
she unwittingly downloaded a hacking device used by the hacker to obtain Sara’s
log-in information and continued to access the breached server inside the
company’s financial network, where there is access to the company’s accounts.
The hacker transfers hundreds of thousands of dollars out of the company’s
financial accounts. This all began with an employee who was social networking
on a company computer system, and another employee whose social network profile
was very easily hijacked.[5]
There is one true event that had
been faced by Nestle. It is Nestle Meltdown on Facebook shows sticky side of
social media. Just about every company has a Facebook fanpage, and most
companies either hire a PR firm or use someone internally (or several people)
to make updates to their social media. Unfortunately, the individual(s)
responsible for updating the fan page for Nestle weren’t able to hold their
tongue. They mixed personal stance and
personality into a corporate identity – and that’s when the fuse was lit. While
PR disasters have happened before, this is the first time in the history (it’s
small, but has great depth) of social media that such a massive explosion has
occurred in the comments of a Facebook business fan page. Facebook, along with other web 2.0 platforms
are some of the hottest marketing tools right now for engaging customers and
promoting products/services as well as spreading a company message. Unfortunately, Nestle is currently witnessing
the debacle and mudslide of operating such a public forum. I’m not quite sure whether this is going to
be remembered as a single, poorly managed backlash from users or a marked “epic
fail” (as users are calling it) on behalf of the Nestle corporation.One thing
is apparent – by looking at the stock of Nestle during this explosion today,
it’s obvious that these incidents can directly affect a company if they
mismanage their PR – especially in social media.Unfortunately for Nestle, the
number of supporters were drowned out and outnumbered by the sheer number of
angry users. Having been under fire
consistently throughout the day, the Nestle rep handling the fan page content
finally apologizes for snapping at the company fans. On the other event, in South Carolina, the
police were able to track down a bank robber after he posted a message about
the crime on his MySpace page. Joseph Wade Northington robbed a bank in North
Augusta, S.C., and made off with $3,924. Northington updated his profile with
the message "One in the head still ain't dead!!!!!! On that run for robbing
a bank. Love all of you."1 He also changed his status to
"Wanted." He was turned in by an acquaintance that recognized him on
surveillance photos released to the networking site. However, the incriminating
evidence Northington posted online will likely be used in court and undermine
any legal defense he may have.[6]
According to Sheikh Luqman Ahmad, an Islamic
scholar which is the Imam and Executive Director of Masjid Ibrahim Islamic
Center in Sacramento, California, he said that social networking can be an
effective tool for maintaining contact with relatives, giving sincere advice,
inviting to Islam, spreading the word of Allah, and disseminating the words of
His Prophet (SAWS), as the Prophet has said: “inform about me, even if it’s
only one verse.” All of these actions mentioned are praiseworthy manifestations
of faith if done with the right intention and in the right manner. Millions of
Muslims across the world use Facebook and other social networking outlets to do
these things on a daily basis.Human beings by our nature are social beings, and
social interconnected by itself is not prohibited in Islam, as Allah has
indeed sanctioned it:“O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male
and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each
other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the
most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted
(with all things)”. [Surah Al-Hujurat: Ayah 13]It is not permissible for a
Muslim to use social networking as a means to cheat on one’s spouse, cultivate
unlawful relationships, post revealing photographs, spread bedroom secrets, or
to uncover the faults of others without just cause. Some people have taken it
upon themselves to use social media like Facebook, twitter, and Pinterest, to
show the worst behavioral qualities that they have to the public. Remember,
whatever any one of us puts out on the Internet, multiplies and can spread way
beyond our control. When it comes to good words or good deeds, they are
automatically multiplied by at least tenfold; “He that doeth good shall have
ten times as much to his credit: He that doeth evil shall only be recompensed
according to his evil: no wrong shall be done unto (any of) them. [Surah
Al-An’am: Ayah 160][7]
Cliff
Lampe, an Assistant Professor of School of Information University of Michigan
is one of the examples of international scholarin social networking.Cliff
Lampe is an assistant professor in the School of Information at the University
of Michigan. Previous to that, he spent several years on the faculty of the
department of Telecommunication, Information Studies and Media at Michigan
State University. He received his PhD in Information in 2006 from the
University of Michigan. Cliff studies how groups can engage in a variety of
collective action activities using information and communication technologies.
Most recently, he has studied the design, uses, and effects of use of such
sites as Facebook, Wikipedia, Everything2, and Slashdot. Cliff has also been
involved in the creation of many online communities, often in the context of
some pro-social goal. His previous position was as an Assistant Professor from
year 2005 to 2011 in the Department of Telecommunication, Information Studies
and Media, Michigan State University. Cliff Lampe has a Ph.D., Information,
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, on January 2006. His special areas of interest are online communication;
recommendations and reputation systems; human-computer interaction;
computer-supported cooperative work.[8]
For my own perspective, I think it
is important to consider our act and behavior through social networking online
because long after you have logged off of your computer, deleted your social
network account, changed your profile, or in some way shielded your identity,
your actions are still spreading and having consequences. This can continue
long after your soul has left your body and you are in your grave. It is common
that people post and say things that they give no second thought to, and it
will turn out that those statements and posts will result in their being thrown
into the hell-fire.Be acutely aware of the hazards of Social
Networks. Always remember what is possible online. As with most things in life
there are opportunities and there are risks; however eliminate needless risk.
There is never a need to share private confidential information online. Use
social networks to share and promote ideas. In the hadith of Abu Hurraira, the
Prophet (SAWS) said: “A slave of Allah might say something which pleases Allah
Almighty without realizing it on account of which Allah raises him some
degrees. A slave of Allah might say something which angers Allah Almighty
without realizing it on account of which he falls into Jahannam.” For me, social
networking does not have to be completely avoided. However, the more aware
users are to the potential threats and dangers, the more protection they have
against them. Social networking is a new method of social interaction in this
age of information, and to ignore it would only isolate you from social
communication, and the plenty of useful or enjoyable aspects of social
networking. The point here is to be on guard, be vigilant, and be aware of the
ways in which social media can be dangerous.[9]
In conclusion, social networking is
one of the ways to communicate with other people such as family, friends and
relatives in order to maintain good relationship and must make sure to use it
wisely and not in a wrong way. A general rule to keep in mind is that lawful
and prohibited words, and statements; continue to come under legislation of the
shariah whether online or offline.By being aware of your cyber-surroundings and
who you are talking to, you should be able to safely enjoy social networking
online. It will take many phone conversations to get to know someone, but you
really won't be able to make a clear judgment until you can meet each other in
person. Just use common sense and listen
to your inner voice; it will tell you when something doesn't feel right about
the online conversations taking place.The angels that record deeds are not
intimidated by the Internet, and there is no way that a person can shield his
or her actions from them or from Allah sub’haanahu wa ta’ala.Let’s be mindful
of what we post or comment on the Internet because bad words, bad adab,
profanity, personal attacks, false accusations, lewdness, and misinformation
about the deen, has its consequences. Hiding behind online anonymity may work
for some people to conceal their real identities from the public, but it
doesn’t work with Allah; “And every human being’s destiny have We tied to his
neck; and on the Day of Resurrection We shall bring forth for him a record
which he will find wide open, and he will be told:] “Read this thy record,!
Sufficient is thine own self today to make out thine account!” 17:13-14 Quran.
Remember to think before you post or comment. And Allah knows best. InsyaAllah
Allah SWT will bless you in everything you do.[10]
[1] Boyd D. - social network
sites – Cambridge - MA: MIT Press - Page.119-130 – Year 2008
[3]N. H. &Hillygus, D.S. – The impact of
internet use on sociability - Time Diary Findings – IT and Society – Page 1-20
– Year 2002
[4]N. H. &Hillygus, D.S. – The impact of internet use on
sociability - Time Diary Findings – IT and Society – Page 24 – Year 2002
[5]Hogan, B. (in press) - Analyzing social
networks via the Internet. In N. – Sage Handbook of Online Research
Methods - Thousand Oaks, - Page 145-157 – Year
2000
[6]. Hogan, B. (in press) - Analyzing social networks via the
Internet. In N. – Sage Handbook of Online Research Methods - Thousand Oaks, - Page 145-157 – Year
2000
[7]United Nations (UN) - review of social networking - United Nations
manual on the prevention and control of computer-related crime. – Page 57 –
2007
[8] United Nations (UN) - review of social networking - United Nations
manual on the prevention and control of computer-related crime. – Page 70 -
2007
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