I have been there; I’ve definitely done that! Are you an online network socialite? Do you Tweet about your Facebook status while listening to music on radio? Have your friends noticed that you’ll only talk to them 140 characters at a time?

Do you have this compulsive desire to upload your photos on MySpace or Flickr every 30 minutes? Then you’ve got your finger on the pulse of online social networking. It is not hard to prove that adults and children alike are afforded indescribable pleasure by these sites. Whether seeking gossip or satisfying a sick impulsive desire to advertise one’s new looks, the route is one — social media. Of course I know that some people use it constructively but I am speaking to the addict.

Genuinely, I sometimes truly wish that ‘tools’ such as the iPhone (or any smartphone), laptops, iPads, tablets, and all the paraphernalia that promote social networking, hadn’t been invented. Sure, they’re great, incredibly useful, and fun time-killers. However, the way teenagers abuse them, and turn them into mini social control rooms is frankly shocking. Not to be too out-and-out but the truth is, it is crazy to spend your short holiday whatsapping or facebooking at the expense of more exciting ventures like sports with friends, shopping, reading novels, partying and working part time. Get out of your cocoon now; it is never too late!

For novices in the world of social networking, the vast online landscape can be a little scary. There are so many options available and each one has its own terms of service or end user license agreement. Even web experts may find some of these agreements difficult to understand. There are times when it can feel like you’re signing your life away just to get a profile on a web site. You may not even know why you would want to use such a site in the first place, apart from the fact that everyone else seems to be on it.

I know you are already on the defensive — they provide complete connectivity, bring people with common interests together, and create a platform to share your life with the rest of the world. However over all this brouhaha, if we ponder over the subject for a while, a few negatives of this new phenomenon come to light- especially for a student who has a lot on their plate. You are still young and energetic to have your life closed in a social lab.

Nothing conveys Inauthentic Expression of Feelings like the social media. Online conversations today are filled with "haha”, "lol”, and other exclamations that are meant to represent laughter. This shorthand has become second nature and is often used when the sender is not even smiling, much less laughing, in real life. On the occasion that our "roflcopter” is actually put to use at a funny moment, we are replacing actual laughter with, in this case, a simple 10-letter acronym or four letter word as in LMAO. According to Robin Dunbar, an evolutionary psychologist at Oxford, the actual physical act of laughter, and not the abstract idea of something being funny, is what makes laughing feel so good. If we are so willing to replace the act that, honestly, we all love, with an artificial, typed representation that doesn’t even bring the same joy, what else would we be, potentially subconsciously, willing to exchange?

Another potential risk of social networking cited most often is the extensive range of mental and health problems known to be associated with spending too much time on social media. In addition to reducing productivity, creating distractions and increasing burnouts, they can cause some serious medical issues. Excessive time spent on social networks causes some individuals to experience withdrawal symptoms. They retreat from actual interaction with fellow humans and assume a virtual persona. This dramatic decrease in face-to-face communication reduces our generation’s ability to interact with others on a speaking level. Common signs are anxiety, distress, boredom and loneliness, much the same as a typical addiction! A study — ‘24 hours: Unplugged’ — conducted by the University of Maryland led to the conclusion that majority of students are "incredibly addicted to social media”.

Regular recreational or social activities take a back seat when social networking is the prime agenda. Face to face interaction and socialising become something of a burden to an "addict”. In extreme cases, interactions with close friends and family also stops and is substituted by virtual communication. Much furor was created about this very aspect due to a paper published by Dr. AricSigman, a fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine, where he mentions that "a lack of face-to-face networking could alter the way genes work, upset immune responses, hormone levels, the function of arteries, and influence mental performance.”

Incidents of profiles and accounts being hacked into are commonplace. While this could be restricted to simply playing a practical joke on a friend, it sometimes leads to the more serious misdemeanor of identity theft. This requires a low level of technical skill and is referred to as social engineering. The hacker uses common interests, background and professional information (all of which are posted on profiles) to extract sensitive information, like passwords and other details from the targeted individual and use them to create an alternate identity. Just using simple data like date of birth, name and location allows hackers to create fake social security cards, driver’s licenses and ID cards. Thus investing some time on securing your account against fraudsters and unknown individuals would prove to be beneficial in the long run.

Another potential hazard of putting up pictures and videos on these websites is that they could be used for defamation. Reported cases include girls’ photos being photo-shopped and used in objectionable places. Also instances where people use social networking sites to abuse or defame anonymously are constantly reported. Cyber bullying has always been used by students to intimidate teachers and staff.

All over the world, social media websites are used to get up close and personal connections without revealing the true identity. There have been numerous scandals in which people have gone as far as marrying each other and then realising the truth. These relationships based on false information often lead to serious consequences. There have been so many cases in developing countries where people fall in love over social media website and end up being cheated financially, emotionally and physically.

Conclusively, social media has brought to the world a common medium for thoughts, words and expression. However its correct and efficient usage is completely dependent on how it is managed. Being aware of the risks and vulnerabilities that we are exposed to through these media only empowers further to use them in a positive way. It is up to us to make sure that social networking does not turn into social dysfunction!

The writer is a lecturer at The Adventist University of Central Africa