The dangers of Social Media
Social media is all fun and games – until someone loses an eye, or an ear, or another body part – or their reputation.
Social media is all fun and games – until someone loses an eye, or an ear, or another body part – or their reputation.
While WhatsApp, Facebook and Twitter have become part of our daily lives and are used for good, such as to communicate and share thoughts with friends and loved ones, they are also used for the bad and the ugly, including to bully, threaten, scam, stalk and harm someone.
It poses a particular danger to the youth, and here’s why …
It’s said that cyber bullying doesn’t involve physical harm, so what’s the fuss about? The fact is, some people have committed suicide as a result of not seeing any way out of the non-stop harassment, threats and abuse. The emotional scarring lasts a long time and sometimes people never get over it.
Some websites allow people to post anonymously, which can mean that it’s very hard to stop the abuse. An addition, online bullying can go viral very quickly. That’s why it’s important to take a screenshot of any conversations, messages or posts that you feel are bullying, so that you have a record of them.
In Japan, for example, the grisly beheading of nine young people lured by a suspected serial killer who tweeted suicidal thoughts has sparked debate about the use of social media. The suspect, Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the “Twitter killer”, reportedly lured his victims – aged between 15 and 26 – by trawling social media, and the gruesome discovery has prompted the government to consider tightening internet regulations to restrict suicidal posts.
Read ‘Social media suicide’ in spotlight after Japan ‘Twitter killer’ here
Social media are in fact so dangerous that police on the West Rand have issued various warnings to the public, saying that the media platforms give criminals information about where you are and what you are doing.
According to Captain Appel Ernst, the Randfontein Police spokesperson, “Checking in on social media platforms, especially Facebook, results in people revealing their locations wherever they go. It also makes their activities during this time known to all. We have over a million people on social networks and the trend of checking in has become very popular. However, people do not realise that this can be used against them and often makes them a target for criminals. Criminals are also on social networks and they can target your home or you.”
Luckily for all of us, there is a way out and help can be found. Here are a few tips about what not to share on, for example, Facebook:
• Your home address
• When you are going on holiday
• Too much information about your children, e.g. which school they attend
• Pictures of your kids or yourself in swimwear
• Complaints about your boss/ colleagues
• The layout of your house
• Your work address
• Do not “check in” at locations so that people can see where you are
• Do not put your contact details on Facebook
A local newspaper, the Randfontein Herald recently ran a campaign called “Stop Bullying”.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at randfonteinherald@caxton.co.za (please remember to include your contact details in the email) or phone us on 011 693 3671.
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