The dark side of social media networks

A systematic reappraisal of probe into the acheronian broadside of societal media usage has identified 46 harmful effects, ranging from carnal and intelligence wellness problems to antagonistic impacts connected occupation and world performance, arsenic good arsenic information and privateness issues.  

Social media networks specified arsenic Facebook and Instagram are utilized by much than 3.6 cardinal radical worldwide. Greater consciousness of the imaginable dangers tin promote idiosyncratic moderation, and assistance bundle engineers, educators and policymakers make ways to minimize antagonistic effects.

"Social media harms person mostly been studied from a psychopathological perspective. They person received little attraction from information systems researchers," says Dr. Eila Erfani, Deputy Head of the UTS School of Information, Systems and Modelling.

"Information systems looks astatine the interaction of exertion connected radical and organizations successful bid to amended conscionable their needs. Identifying and knowing however to trim adverse outcomes from societal media usage is portion of that challenge.

"The World Health Organization has recognized the request for further probe connected accusation exertion addiction and the request to make strategies for preventing and treating this problem," she says.

Dr. Erfani and Ph.D. candidate Layla Boroon, from the University of Technology Sydney, and Associate Professor Babak Abedin from Macquarie University conducted the review, which captured and collated the scope of antagonistic effects of societal media use.

Their study, The Dark Side of Using Online Social Networks: A Review of Individuals' Negative Experiences, was precocious published successful the Journal of Global Information Management.

"Much of the probe connected societal web usage has focused connected its benefits and potential, but we were funny successful comprehensively identifying the negative impacts that person been associated with societal media use," says Ms Boroon.

"We reviewed much than 50 probe articles published betwixt 2003 and 2018. Some of the astir communal antagonistic impacts included intelligence harms specified arsenic jealousy, loneliness, anxiousness and reduced self-esteem, arsenic good arsenic things similar vulnerability to malicious bundle and phishing risks."

The researchers grouped the antagonistic effects into six themes:

• Cost of societal exchange: includes some intelligence harms, specified arsenic depression, anxiousness oregon jealousy, and different costs specified arsenic wasted time, vigor and money
• Annoying content: includes a wide scope of contented that annoys, upsets oregon irritates, specified arsenic disturbing oregon convulsive contented oregon intersexual oregon obscene content
• Privacy concerns: includes immoderate threats to idiosyncratic privateness related to storing, repurposing oregon sharing idiosyncratic accusation with 3rd parties
• Security threats: refers to harms from fraud oregon deception specified arsenic phishing oregon societal engineering
• Cyberbullying: includes immoderate maltreatment oregon harassment by groups oregon individuals specified arsenic abusive messages, lying, stalking oregon spreading rumors
• Low performance: refers to antagonistic interaction connected occupation oregon academic performance.

Ms Boroon is presently investigating factors that power societal media addiction and the strategies radical usage to modulate their behavior. The adjacent measurement volition beryllium to make and trial applications, plan features and different solutions that tin trim these negative effects.

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More information: Layla Boroon et al, The Dark Side of Using Online Social Networks, Journal of Global Information Management (2021). DOI: 10.4018/JGIM.20211101.oa34