NOTE: Free essay sample provided on this page should be used for references or sample purposes only. The sample essay is available to anyone, so any direct quoting without mentioning the source will be considered plagiarism by schools, colleges and universities that use plagiarism detection software. To get a completely brand-new, plagiarism-free essay, please use our essay writing service.
One click instant price quote
Running head: SOCIAL EFFECTS OF THE INTERNET Social Effects of the Internet April 17, 2009 Social Effects of the Internet Introduction The development and advent of internet technology has become of the most important events in the latter half of the XX century. Internet became a miracle allowing individuals to get immediate and free access to information, bringing the world closer and allowing to know all things that happen in the world without the necessity to go outdoors. Nowadays, almost all world countries have access to internet, connecting hundreds of thousands domestic networks making information available to hundreds of millions users. Yet, despite the undoubtedly great benefits internet technology offers to users, more and more voices are heard in support to the fact that the popularization of internet has many negative effects on population.
Along with outlining the positive impact internet has on individuals life, the essay examines the causes and effects of the popularization of the over use of the internet social networks, bringing insight into social strains and negative effects internet has, ranging from alienation from society to the neurological effects it can have in an psychological (harm) level. Social Effects of the Internet According to the widespread opinion, internet has many positive effects on social behavior. For example, collaborative game playing fosters the development of social skills in children and teenagers. Internet users exposed to pro social online content have higher levels of self-control, more altruistic behaviors, and have less stereotyped views of others. (Rauterberg) Internet has also therapeutic effects, reducing phobias, and increasing positive influence on individuals behavior. Easy access to information has positive effect on childs development as well.
Yet, although the information that can be obtained in internet does include many websites that encourage pro-social and positive behaviors, the most popular entertainment internet portals often have content encouraging violent and aggressive behaviors. For example, some internet websites have entertainment software or online games with aggression and competition, and over 70 % of online games have violence or aggression as an objective. Continued exposure to aggression and violence leads to increased levels of aggression or hostility in real life, desensitizes players to real life sufferings and lead to development of anti-social behaviors. Although there is no evidence that the internet can harm health directly, there are still claims that the use of information obtained from internet websites can cause irreversible damage or even cause the patients death (for example, according to Medline report in the Annals of Internal Medicine, there was a case of a patient who died of kidney and liver failure after using hydrazine sulphate (as recommended by the Kathy Keeton website, web) as an alternative treatment for cancer. (Kiley, 2002) Internet addition is likely to have a number of negative effects on personality (mostly social effects).
According to a variety of sources, the over use of internet causes the user to withdraw from family and friends, as he starts spending more time in the Internet. The internet addict stops attending meetings with friends and avoids contacts with family members, often becoming irritable when people try to take him away from computer. Over use of the internet can also take an emotional toll, when the user gradually withdraws into an artificial world and focuses attention on the things that happen in virtual world, placing significantly less focus and placing no or very litle emotional value on real time events (Grabianowski). In addition, excessive exposure to pornography easily accessible via numerous online websites, can lead to different perversions, damaging healthy sexuality. To a certain extent, this negative effect becomes even more dangerous with development of social networks, where the teenagers and youth can fall victims of abuse (Labianca, Brass, & Gray, 1998). In fact, children and teenagers are likely to trust adults, however, when this friendship is set up by meeting through social networks, it is difficult to rely on instant messaging to communicate (Haythornthwaite & Wellman, 2002).
Adults can portray themselves as something they are not, in order to attract children, and it should be taken into consideration that the internet has provided a forum for this kind of abuse, and has enabled paedophile's to be able to find each other and share images, which would have been much more difficult in the past. (Wilkinson) According to the findings presented by Michele L. Ybarra, MPH, PhD and Kimberly J. Mitchell, PhD (2008), approximately 15 percent of all youth report that they were targeted by unwanted sexual participation, with over 4 percent of youth being targeted in a social networking site. In such a way, although internet does have many positive social effects (for example, as far as information is publicly available, individuals can easily get access to useful data (e. g. , finding good recipes, reading books online, subscribing to educational courses, communicating with peers, participating in community events, to mention a few), the negative social effects internet has on individuals could not be underestimated.
Despite the level of internet use was not found to be related to depression levels, still, over use of internet correlates to weaker social ties and weaker relationships with friends and family. Bibliography Grabianowski, E. (n. d. ). How Computer Addiction Works. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from web Haythornthwaite, C. , & Wellman, B. (2002).
The Internet in Everyday Life. Wiley-Blackwell. Kiley, R. (2002). Does the internet harm health? Some evidence exists that the internet does harm health. BMJ, 324 (7331), 238.
Labianca, G. , Brass, D. , & Gray, B. (1998). Social Networks and Perceptions of Intergroup Conflict: The Role of Negative Relationships and Third Parties. Academy of Management Journal, 41 (1), 55 - 67. Rauterberg, M. (n. d. ).
POSITIVE EFFECTS OF ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY ON HUMAN BEHAVIOUR. Retrieved April 19, 2009, from web Wilkinson, M. (n. d. ). Negative effects of the Internet. Retrieved April 17, 2009, from web Ybarra, M. , & Mitchell, K. (2008). How Risky Are Social Networking Sites?
A Comparison of Places Online Where Youth Sexual Solicitation and Harassment Occurs. PEDIATRICS, 121 (2), e 350 -e 357.
Free research essays on topics related to: things that happen, negative effects, access to information, social effects, children and teenagers
Research essay sample on Running Head Social Effects Of The Internet
