Why Social Networking
Sites Can Be Dangerous
Heaven Ministries ©
Copyright 2010
With all of the virtual networking websites these
days on the Internet is it any wonder that we have any real physical
friends? Virtual social networking sites can be very deceiving in so
many ways. Some of these sites are great for keeping updated with far
away family and for some businesses, but these social websites can be
abused by our generation today. There is a right way to use these
websites and then there is an incorrect way.
Identity Theft
Plastering your private information on a public
website for anyone can see is very naïve. If a company needs your
personal information for their records that is one thing, but to plaster
your birth date and other identifiable information, for anyone to see on
these social networking sites is asking for a whole lot of trouble,
namely Identity theft.
Talking with Imposters
Did you watch Dateline NBC the other night
about the predator who lusted after supposedly a beautiful young girl,
but it ended up being a bored, overweight housewife. She used her
beautiful, innocent seventeen-year old daughter as bait by plastering
her picture all over the Internet? This game she was playing also caused
a young man, who thought he was also talking with the pretty seventeen
year old to get murdered because the predator got jealous that the young
man was going to visit with the young girl. This and many other
scenarios like this one can be avoided and are preventable.
Virtual Dating is Asking For Trouble
Christian young people should be encouraged by
their church leaders and parents to meet like-minded people at the
church and community events they attend rather than loitering these
online networking websites. We should not allow virtual reality to take
the place of real relationships because as we all know you can be
deceived. In fact you will never truly know a person’s character or
intention on the Internet and to think you will is foolishness.
Jesus says, “See their Fruits”. How can we see
their fruits through the Internet? We perhaps can see false fruits, airs
and pretenses, but nothing more. For young people to look for
like-minded people on any of the social networking websites is obviously
not a good idea.
Destroys Marriage
Married people who have separate social networking
accounts and passwords are asking for a lot of trouble and it is
ludicrous. A married person having free access to these social sites
will one day be tempted into infidelity emotional and or physical. The
odds are stacked up against you. This is especially true for Christians
who are new in their faith or are weak in their faith because they do
not have a personal relationship with Christ. I suspect though, if a
Christian has truly given their life and marriage to the Lord they
wouldn’t have a separate social networking account. Trust is a major
aspect of marriage that keeps couples together and when that trust gets
broken, whether from an emotional infidelity or physical, it will most
likely cause many other problems for the couple.
Play-Acting and Role-Playing is Addicting
Some people are addicted to Internet social sites
and because of it they literally stop interacting and socializing in the
real world! When a person continually checks their announcements, email,
forums and posts it has literally taken control of their daily life.
Some people who are lonely, depressed or have emotional problems are
addicted to receiving praise, comments, and flirtatious gestures from
others on these social networking websites.
This addiction takes them away from having real
friendships and going to real places in the real world. Some of the
social networking sites you can be anyone (avatar) you make yourself to
be. You can sit down in a café and sip on wine and eat croissants,
while really you are sitting in your home in front of your computer,
faking people out and possibly even yourself.
Patronizing social networking sites is not a
healthy way to spend our time. With all of the deception from people in
the world, I believe that sincere Christian people should not frequent
these types of websites. It would be a better idea for Christians to
continue to be true to themselves, true to others, true to God and meet
people in the real world. Leave networking up to the businesses and
companies. |