YOU ARE SUFFERING FROM SOCIALITIS!

Do you all have internet at home? I guess! Do you have a Facebook, Twitter, MySpace account/s? Of course! Its an amazing way of socializing with your current and old friends! Its also a platform where all of us can make new friends. The meaning of the ‘pen-pal’ has taken a new turn with the introductions of all these socializing sites. That is why there is a boom of social media!

Headlines like those below are not uncommon today.

Burglar Forgot To Log Off Facebook. Got Apprehended

THANK GOD: Facebook Saves Suicidal Boy!

Facebook Got Man Out Of Jail

But is FB the answer to everything? Would we after a point of time just make do with these social media sites in order to keep in touch? What about the personal touch? The phone calls and the meeting places… Would we give all of it up due to the presence of the Social Media sites?

Facebook isn’t all good either! There are occasions where Facebook has done bad as much as it has done good.

Here is a video which talks about the privacy issues of Facebook.

I was browsing sites on Fabebook for my blogs when I chanced upon this news:

Facebook Message Got Red Haired Boy Beaten

This news got me thinking. As the article said, Facebook facilitated a group which in turn told 12 yr olds to beat up Red-Haired people.

“Facebook spokesman Barry Schnitt said the network relies on its more than 300 million users to report problems with groups or events. Staff members then follow up to see if groups should be removed or reported to law enforcement, he said. Schnitt said he had not been made aware of this specific message or group.

“Inciting violence against any individual or group is against what we stand for and our policies,” Schnitt said.”

If inciting violence is against Facebook’s policies, isn’t there a better method available to stop this kind of violence? The article also talked about the age limit. This brings us back to parental control. Is it Facebook’s fault if kids are not being supervised by their parents? Shouldn’t parents monitor what their kid’s social media activities?

Facebook also allows people to be gauged and discriminated by others. I know of a case where after a bad break-up, the guy actually told all his friends to stalk the girl on Facebook and post threatening messages on her wall. This harassment went on for a long time and even after everyone was blocked, the guy continued spreading bad word about the girl on his own account. Because both had mutual friends, the girl suffered through a lot because of this.

We have to be careful. As with any product, social media web sites such as Facebook comes with its own set of pros and cons and its up to us to use it in a correct manner.