The perils of social networking

 Young people in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are faced with many issues, one being their vulnerability to Facebook and other online social networking services, writes KENTA PORA.

SOCIAL network site, Facebook has rapidly expanded since its creation in 2004. 

It is available in 37 different world languages. Based on its quarterly earnings report disclosed in early 2013, it has 1.11 billion registered users worldwide who use the site each month.

 This  is slightly more than the 1.06 billion users reported at the end of 2012, which represents a 4.7% growth rate.

In PNG, the social networking site is becoming increasingly popular because of its eye-catching and interactive features. 

Many school age children in PNG’s villages or urban areas access Facebook regularly. 

Facebook has both positive and negative impacts on this group of people.

Many adolescents aged between 10 and 19, and to a lesser extent, adults aged between 20 and 35 are using Facebook while travelling, at home, at school or at their workstations. 

The cost of accessing Facebook is considered affordable in PNG.

The fact that PNG is still a developing nation does not affect the rapid growth in Facebook users. According to Digicel statistics, the site is set to become more entrenched in our daily lives. 

The number of registered PNG Facebook is about 65,000, and it is estimated that a large portion of them are teenagers and young adults.

Facebook was created for socialising through chatting or exchanging messages and to let friends and family know what the users are up to through status updates and posting of photographs.

Others others use it as a “refuge”to express their feelings, views and opinions.

Friends can write comments to encourage those who are sad. Facebook serves to relieve stress.

The sit can develop positive self-image among the school-aged population. 

Facebookcan also act as an effective medium of business communication.

Companies and individuals have created pages and links to advertise or promote their products and services. Popular groups such as sports teams and student groups have also created pages to inform the world of their existence and activities. 

Facebook helps teachers to reach out to students who need special attention. There have been one or two pages created by some PNG teachers to answer students’ queries and help students answer basic math or science questions.

CONNECTING FAMILIES

Facebook can also allow parents to have a glimpse into the lives of students and young people so as to understand them better. Even employers can use Facebook to seek out potential employees by viewing their’ published profiles. 

Facebook can help mobilise support towards a cause. 

For example, users have created forums and interests groups where national or provincial issues are discussed or debated. These can help students in their research, promote causes and leverage support to 

bring meaningful change to home, school and community.  

Facebook has helped many families to connect and even find long-lost relatives. It  has made PNG smaller. 

Media outlets also create pages to brief the public on local and international news. 

This has created another avenue for young users to access a wide range of information that will educate them about the world and broaden their mindset about issues that they learn about in school.

There are also negative impacts or risks associated with using Facebook which are worth noting.

Parents and guardians need to think seriously about what it means when their children go on Facebook. They need to start asking questions such as: What are the benefits to the children? What are the risks? How might Facebook affect their future?

Many users of Facebook are so fascinated with its services that they give little attention to the potential for negative impacts.

Social networking has an addictive component and may be difficult to “turn off”. It can become a huge distraction and can impact on learning. 

WRITING SKILLS

Children lie about their ages to access Facebook. There is no credible age verification on Facebook. Online companies do age verification because they know they are required to but everybody knows it doesn’t really work. This is also true for all websites.

Third, Facebook can affect the writing skills of primary to university students. It can open the door to shortcuts such as abbreviations and emoticons.

For example, common errors include “dat” for that or its and it’s, use of slang and punctuationerrors. 

Young people can access restricted websites linked to Facebook. There is no control to stop a specific age group from accessing Facebook. Underage students can be exposed to pornography.

Since sex is not openly discussed at home, or with adult supervision, underaged students can access restricted pages freely without fear and intimidation.

Anything posted online on Facebook, whether an image or a comment stays in cyberspace forever. What happens with that post or image may be disseminated to others by anyone, so a user’s profile is not always “private”’.

Facebook is also one avenue where young adults as well as married people may develop intimate or adulterous relationships.

This is because of the amount of personal information provided in user profiles. Most of them even post their telephone numbers and email contacts. 

Facebook can instil feelings of insecurity among young couples who are enjoying steady relationships. Uncensored comments and photo tagging, for example,can create suspicion and mistrust.

Users can be addicted to Facebook use  which then becomes costly and a distraction from work and study.

At present, there is no regulation in PNG to control the usage and accessibility of Facebook and other social networking sites either on mobile phones or on computers.

Child safety concerns and effects on child development are important considerations when establishing legal frameworks on the use of social networking sites in PNG.

Parents and guardians should communicate more often with the older children about the risks of Facebooking.

The required age of 13 may be too young for kids to be on Facebook, let alone children under the age of 13, with or without online safety tools.

Research must be carried out to monitor and assess the impact of Facebook on a specific target group such as adolescents who are the most active users in PNG. 

The 2007 national census put the figure at 1.5 million, and with a population growth rate of 2.7%, the estimated adolescent population is increasing rapidly.

At the end of the day, every PNG citizen has the choice to access Facebook and other social networking sites. It is hoped that this is done in a productive and responsible way.

• Kenta Pora is a cadet researcher with the economics policy research programme at the National Research Institute. The views expressed do not reflect the institute’s views.