Do we really know the facts about social networking?

Chapter 5 in Brooks-Young was all about social networks.  It brought up the potentially good uses as well as the negative uses of social networks, this is something that is worth knowing about because as the years go on we become more and more connected by social networks and it is important to understand them.  As with almost anything on the internet you can never be 100% sure of anything accuracy.  I know that some sites are more reliable than others, but as a general rule, people can post misleading information online and share it with the whole world.  This is especially true in regards to social networks.  The thing about social networking sites is that you can in a way be anyone that you want to be and most people would not know any different.  This ability to mask your true identity has created a problem with underage children being solicited in an unwanted way.  They become more vulnerable to adults who lie or even other teenagers who can say whatever they like without  them seeing any consequences for their actions.

I just read an article that was talking about how people often quote the statistic that 1 in 7 children have been sexually solicited online.  But does that statistic actually reflect the truth or is it just an exaggeration of the truth.  The  article I was reading seemed to think that this was an exaggeration of things.  It may be misleading of the data to say that 1 in 7 children has been sexually solicited online, it goes on to say that often times the encounters are very minor and are from other teenagers.  I'm not sure if that make things any better, but it does help to put the information into perspective for you, it can be easy to let your imagination run wild with a statistic, but it is important for us to be well informed members of our society.  I did find it comforting that one of the points that this article made was that most people were able to report the incidents in an effective and easy way.  Here is a link to the article if you want to read it for yourself: http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/sites/cyber.law.harvard.edu/files/1in7Youth.pdf.

As with all things social networks have a positive and a negative side to the, but it is also important to seek the truth when you are online and to be smart about who you share your information with and what you make accessible on the internet.  If you take the necessary precautions and think about what you are putting up for the world to see social networks can be a great way to stay connected to people.