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.