The negative things about social networking include:
- People get immediate gratification, and so, they come to expect immediacy in real life.
- When immediate gratification is withheld, many social networking users / participants react with a wide range of negative emotions.
- "Relationships" online are artificial but can seem real.
- When the "relationships" ("friends") fail to deliver in social networking, the other person can feel duped, fooled, betrayed, disillusioned.
- Online social networking is more time consuming than real life activities.
- There are no outside authorities to determine how long is spent in social networking. For example, people know how long a Basketball game in real life will take to conclude. But time limits are missing online.
- It is much easier to get addicted to "friends" (although they are strangers), and to online games.
- Because "friends" online are really strangers, we can't know their true age, identity, intent, morals, etc.
- "Friends" online may encourage us to do things we normally would not do in real life - for example, send a photo to a stranger online.
- We may tell our secrets, not realizing the other person plans to use that information to exploit or harm.
- There is never "love" online between strangers.
- No matter how much you might "care" about someone online, when you are hurt or in trouble, it will ONLY be your real life friends and family who come to help you.
- We can find "quick info" on social networking sites-- but often that "info" is just opinions, not facts.
- Too many people reveal personal info and real life dramas, and play out those dramas online.
- It is really easy to get too involved with other people's "dramas". For example, we've all run into someone online who is making semi-threats about committing suicide. People might spend HOURS trying to "convince" the person to stay alive. BUT, smarter people just say, "I trust that you know how to keep yourself safe and if you are not safe, I know you will call 911."
- We may give out so much information about ourselves online that it is hard to clean up our messes later.
- There are people who troll forums just to learn personal information. Therefore, rather than being a "social" outlet, users must always be on guard.
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