By Adam

The invention of social media platforms has changed our lifestyles. Have you ever snapped a photo of your food for Instagram before eating? We cannot spend a day peacefully without posting something on our social media accounts. Even if we do not post, we constantly check our favorite platforms for the latest spilled tea. So, social media has become a friend and an enemy for most of us.

56.8 percent of the total population are active users of social media today. You may also be one of them and might find social media entertaining. But you might not be aware of the fact that social media is dangerous too. It poses mental and physical threats to all of us if used unethically.

Read this article to gather more information about the various dangers of social media prevalent today.

What is Social Media?

The term social media is used for websites that enable users to share their thoughts and ideas with others. You can create your social media account on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, etc. Social media also includes other websites like blogging platforms, video sharing apps, picture sharing platforms, and online magazines. All these platforms help you connect with your friends and family members to share your thoughts and ideas.

More than 3 billion people are active users of social media today. However, this is not a great thing at all. The dark side of social media has turned out to be more dangerous than we can imagine.

Types of Dangers of Social Media

Cyberbullies

Social media opens an opportunity for cyberbullies. They can bully a person by posting negative and abusive comments on social media accounts. If they don’t get a desired response from the victims, they can also post embarrassing photos of the victim on the internet to make them feel miserable. Overall, cyberbullying is a major issue, one that older generations never had to deal with. Now, people can post mean comments without revealing their identities.

Stalkers

Cyberstalking is another significant danger of social media. A perpetrator can stalk a person through the internet by following online activities and collecting information about someone without disclosing their identity. We all have checked our friends’ social media platforms, but it can get spooky if people become obsessed with certain individuals.

Cyberterrorism

Cyberterrorism is a term referring to terrorism taking place online. For instance, certain groups can intimidate others or hack into systems. Another crucial issue is the online recruitment process that exists on social media. A terrorist organization can dedicate people to urge others to join or support illegal activities.

Oversharing

Oversharing means that users reveal too much about themselves online. It can cause a significant problem if someone gets your data and uses it against you. Oversharing allows cybercriminals to use this information in favor of them.

People often post about their activities like going on vacations, locations of places they visit, locations of their offices, etc. These pieces of information act as starters for …read more

Source:: Social Media Explorer

Author: Aaron