Should social networking be banned?
Social networking sites are platforms where a group of individuals can meet and interact with each other. They include twitter, Facebook, MySpace among other several sites that allow people to interact with their friends and family. These sites can be used for good purposes such as keeping in touch with relatives and friends while they may be used for bad intentions such as spreading malicious rumors. Therefore, should social networking be banned?
A google search of the question proved helpful since it brought up a couple of websites and articles that had tackled the question. Most sites stated that social networking should be banned because they encourage cyber bullying, child predator, isolation and distraction for children. Some suggested children should be taught the dangers in order for them to use the sites positively (Debate.org, para 3). They also stated that in the workplace, they made employees under productive while some research shows that they had the exact opposite effect on employees, making them more creative (Social Smarty, para 6).
Debate.org (2012), http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-social-networking-be-banned-for-school-children
This site considers opinions of people who think social networking should be banned as well as those who don’t. Some respondents suggest that social networking sites should have age restrictions due to instances of issues such as cyber bullying.
Love to know Social Networking (2006), http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Should_Social_Networking_Sites_be_Banned
This site tackles this with regards to other related question such as; is a cyber friend really a friend as well as issues such as social networking and social isolation. Most parents are of the opinion social networking should be banned for children because they attract child predators, they encourage cyber bullying (similar to the first site) and they may act as a distraction from school work. Emile Durkheim, a 19th century sociologist, argues that social networking causes children to spend a lot of time alone and therefore can be a cause of suicidal tendencies. The World Social Networking Ban Race (2000), http://www.investintech.com/articles/theworldsocialnetworkingbanrace/
This site gives some insight on which countries have banned which social networking sites as well as why they shouldn’t be banned.
I wouldn’t however use this site since it’s not fully detailed.
Social Smarty (2009), http://socialsmarty.com/small-business/should-social-networks-be-banned-at-the-workplace/
According to the site, employers argued that employees are distracted by the networks and therefore are less productive. Other reasons cited are private company information may be exposed, company bandwidth becomes less and company hardware may be at risk of exposure to viruses as well as spyware among other reasons.Research carried out however shows that allowing social networking in the workplace helps workers become more productive as well as inspiring them in terms of coming up with solutions for problems at work.
References
Debate.org. n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013. Retrieved from: http://www.debate.org/opinions/should-social-networking-be-banned-for-school-children.
Love to know Social Networking. n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013 Retrieved from: http://socialnetworking.lovetoknow.com/Should_Social_Networking_Sites_be_Banned
The World Social Networking Ban Race. n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013Retrieved from: http://www.investintech.com/articles/theworldsocialnetworkingbanrace/
Social Smarty. n.d., Web. 05 Mar. 2013. Retrieved from: http://socialsmarty.com/small-business/should-social-networks-be-banned-at-the-workplace/
