Internet and Social Media websites doing more Harm than Good?

[Kofi]

In the olden days only rich and powerful people like regional ministers, members of parliament, managers, and people in higher positions had computers in their homes in my country Ghana in West Africa. There was no internet in my village but in the big towns and cities like Accra and Kumasi (where I live now), there were few internet cafes where people used to pay and browse. Those were very expensive so most of us the average people avoided those places.

However, things have changed a lot in my country today. Most college students own computers and in the big towns and cities I can say most homes have computers in them. Not just computers but computers with internet access. We get wire and wireless access to the internet these days. We buy internet cards with prepaid units on them and use that to connect to the internet with no monthly bills. These days there are cheap internet cafes in almost every town in Ghana. Some even get free wireless access.

Computers are cheaper these days in Africa because in Africa you can get second hand computers, third hand computers, and even hand computers. There is even an IBM store in Accra the capital of Ghana selling cheap computers. My computer had just 2gig disk space which couldn't store much information but I was still able to connect to the internet and that was the most important thing. At first I did not know much about what goes on around the world but now I get to know.

Although there are radio and television stations in Africa, most of them modify and delete information and some even change those information in exchange for money. Let me use Libya for example, more than 250 people have died in the ongoing protest but you will never hear or see this number on the state-run television and radio stations. Even most private television stations modify the information because Gaddafi doesn't want the people to know. But with internet access we get to know the real situation because the real information is on CNN, on BBC, on Yahoo news, etc. Because of the internet I get to know more about what goes on around the world. I also get to interact with people from different parts of the world which is great.

Most Americans and people in other developed countries have been using computers and the internet for a very long time so most of these people know how to use the computer and the internet for example when it comes to protecting ones information and identity.

However, most Africans especially those in my country are new to computers and the internet and some are just learning how to use computers and the internet but the sad thing is that those who pretend to know instead of taking time to learn, end up hurting themselves.

A college student in my country and his girlfriend were making love with his computer beside the bed. The computer's camera was on and the guy forgot to close his webcam chat with an unknown person. The next day he logged on to facebook just to find his naked pictures all online which is very sad. This is just one of them. There are worse stories than this I have heard and seen going on in Africa today.

Although most Adults in America know how to use the computer and the internet, most of the youths don't know how to use the internet. I read an article yesterday about a teenage girl in America who emailed a sex video of herself to her boyfriend just to find that video on facebook the next day. In another article, some high school students in America used their cell phones to send naked pictures to their friends just to find them on facebook. I have heard similar stories in most developed countries.

Although I love the internet, I still believe the internet is doing more harm than good especially to the younger generation because most of us don't know and yet we are not ready to learn the proper ways of using the computer and the internet. My post is getting too long so I will end here.

What do you think? Is the internet doing more harm than good? Are social media websites like Facebook and Myspace doing more harm than good?

[Doug]

Kind of makes me snicker a bit. "Is the internet doing more harm than good"?

The internet is nothing more than a form of communications inanimate in itself just as a persons mouth is a form of communications inanimate in itself. Both must have the intelligence and will of a person to make it function.

So what is doing more harm than good? Stupidity! Just plain moral decay and stupidity! Is is the internet or the computer or is it the moral decay of mankind Kofi?

Moral decay: greed, corruption, sexual decay, laying etc. is by far doing more harm to Africa than the internet. It is the people who are harming themselves and thinking they are having fun. It is people who have turned evil into good. It is not the inanimate things of this earth that is doing harm, it is the degenerate people using them that is doing more harm than good.

From Cain and Able to this very day we have these kind of people. Because a rock can kill a person should we ban rocks? Because fire can kill a person shall we ban fire? Should we ban TV? Should we ban the internet? Let's ban food because some are gluttons and are killing themselves!

So my answer? NO NO NO. The moral depravity of people is the culprit.

[Kofi]

Yes you are right. We cannot fix any of these problems without first fixing our moral values. I was just thinking that the internet is worsening our already bad situation. For example there have been thieves and greedy people in Africa ever since man first set foot on this land. Those thieves were stealing in Africa alone but because of the internet now they can steal worldwide. In Africa we call them 419 people. They are online 24/7 scamming people. This 419 internet scamming business started in Nigeria but now there are 419 scammers in every African country scamming all day and night.

[world-love]

Interesting point, Kofi, but it surprises me that you would suggest that the Internet may be causing more harm than good, considering that you are an active member of this forum, which provides information about world issues to perhaps educate or bring awareness to the visitors and members.

Although the internet does fuel some dangerous and problematic behaviours, it is most definitely an important and useful tool to educate and connect people.

As a global community, we have become so dependant on the internet for educational, personal, social, and professional purposes, that simply calling it “harmful” would be unrealistic. I do, however, agree that communicating online through social media could potentially cut people off from each other personally and physically to some extent, but on the other hand they are still maintaining contact with and finding out more about each other through the sharing of photographs, videos, comments, likes/dislikes, and interests.

I guess you could argue it both ways, but I lean more towards the positive aspects of the internet and social media.