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Internet & Social Networks; Advantages & Threats

The great expense of internet and social networks, and growing interest of different classes of the society in this phenomenon have left many positive and negative effects in the global society. There have been numerous opportunities and threats due to this change. Infusive cleverly invasion of lurid gangs and misgiving elements on the pretexts of sympathy and by exciting emotions has given birth to new identifying and characteristic navigates among the youth and educated class.
Now the above-mentioned communication sources have got the role of an influential source that affects the attitudes and opinions of different parts of the society. Internet leaves its influences on forming culture, identity, beliefs and personal and social values of people. As well as, involvement in the cyber space has been necessary and undeniable. Thus there should be a serious study in this area to denote advantages, disadvantages and threats of internet, presenting productive solutions for the users.
Some of the positive results of internet and social networks can be listed as follow:
1. Facilitating the possibility of conveying tenets and delivering them to addressees in a large scale;
2. Weakening the power of monopolist traditional elites who restrict information;
3. Creation of new and attractive forms of relationship;
4. Enjoying from a democratic nature and an important tool for free and rapid exchange of information over censorship.
Keeping in mind the exclusivities of the cyber space, we can point out to some examples of the advantages of internet and social networks:
1. Propagating and boosting of human and moral values globally;
2. Cultural development;
3. Progress and bloom of ethnic and religious minorities;
4. Acceleration in the process of education;
5. Development of the culture of study and reading book.
Besides, some negative points and threats have been affirmed for internet, too. They are as follow:
1. Upbringing of a new kind of radical individualism;
2. Imitation of globalization blindly and cultural superiority of the US by traditional elites;
3. Facilitation of violating other’s privacy;
4. Separation of members of families and friends;
5. Giving priority to social relations on the real relationships and finally rift and isolation from objective and intuitive communications;
6. Creation of unconscious changes in conditions and attitudes of the users;
7. Emergence of mental dispersal and distractibility in the net users.
Taking notice of this opinion, many threats can be counted for social networks. Three of them as follow: 1. Social networks are threat for children; 2. Social networks a danger for Muslim women; 3. These networks boost illicit and uncommon relations among young users.
Next to the two pessimistic and optimistic opinions about internet and social networking sites, there is a third viewpoint that believes as internet and social networks are very powerful, attractive and easy sources for communication for different classes of the society, neither they can be forbidden from internet nor it can be out of access for all. Therefore, culture-building and instruction of the correct way of using internet is an inevitable need. For this purpose, we present some solutions:
1. Launching useful websites and blogs to focus on religious, cultural, educational and pedagogic affairs and subjects;
2. Creation of purposeful groups in social networking applications on smart phones and serious presence in such groups;
3. Organizing special classes to train the correct use of internet;
4. Making parents aware of the damages of cyber space and giving them solutions to deal correctly with their children;
5. Recognition and introduction of productive and authentic web portals which work in different areas and fields.

 

By Maso’ûd Ebâdi

Source: Neday Islam magazine 63-64
Republished by: SunniOnline English