Facebook is a necessary evil Essay

Facebook in simple terms can be defined as a social networking website that enables around a billion people worldwide to connect with each other via the internet. Following its initiation Facebook was labelled as an essential tool for communication whereas these days it has mostly been used as a tool for practising of evil deeds in the society. Recently Facebook has been used as a tool for unnecessary evil in the society with main examples social uprising to cyber criminals. This essay explores the evil deeds associated with Facebook as a social networking site which includes facilitation a room for phishing crimes and social unrest in the society, spreading of false and potentially unwanted information and lastly lacking of privacy and weighs their values versus the perceived advantages of using Facebook as a communication tool. Firstly, Facebook is a necessary evil as it facilitates room for phishing crimes and social uprising in the society. Recent protests in countries such as Tu nisia and Egypt were reported to be fuelled and organised through social networking sites such as Facebook (Lister, 2011). Facebook can also be used as a tool for hackers and burglars to conduct their social activities as it gives them room for easier access to people’s personal information. Two thirds of Facebook users unwittingly expose themselves to crime by revealing their personal details. Consequentially without proper regulation Facebook can all but be used as a tool for practising evil deeds in the society. Secondly, social networking sites such as Facebook are a necessary evil as they enable the spread of unreliable and false information in the society. Recent reports suggest that about half of Facebook users have heard or seen false news and information through Facebook. A recent notable event was in 2012 when false rumours of fires, shootouts, and caravans of gunmen in a Mexico City suburb spread via Facebook causing panic and temporary closing of schools (Rodrigue z, 2012).As a result of Facebook being freely available news outlets are therefore likely to pick up bogus information that can lead to confusion and panicking among the public. In addition to Facebook being used as a tool for spreading information it can also be said to be a necessary evil as it lacks privacy and expose its users to illegal and unwanted intruders. Due to lack of privacy settings or the  public being ignorant or unaware of these settings government and corporate agencies are likely to invade the privacy of these users (McCullagh 2012). Consequently users of Facebook are likely to be exposed to ill-motivated agencies in the absence of adequate privacy settings. Despite the evil deeds associated with Facebook, it can also be a good tool for spreading information faster compared to other Medias. According to Maria (2012) most people are likely to learn about breaking news through the use of Facebook. This can be important especially in times of natural disasters as it can connect rescue teams with victims thereby lessening the impact of these events. Facebook can also be used by students as a tool for discussing educational topics and this ca n be beneficial in this ever changing technological environment (Kressler, 2012). In spite of Facebook being labelled as lacking privacy law enforcement agencies can also use it to catch and prosecute criminals (Evon, 2012). This is especially useful in connection with cyber criminals. Community members can report suspected criminal activities through Facebook leading to quicker response to crime. In addition to it being used as a tool for catching criminals Facebook can be used in empowering individuals to make social change on a community level. In summary given the above stated advantages of using Facebook to the society as well as considering the evil deeds associated with it, it can be said with certainty that Facebook is clearly a necessary evil. With regard to pros such as a tool for communication these cannot outweigh the known effect of using Facebook without proper regulation which includes social unrest promotion and rise in cyber crimes. For this reasons the main point i s that Facebook is a necessary evil and its usage should be controlled through proper and strict regulations/ legislation. References Evon, D. (2011, August 10). NYPD adding Facebook tracking unit to police force. Social News Daily. Retrieved from http://www.socialnewsdaily.com Kressler, S. (2010). The case for social media in schools. Retrieved from http://www.mashable.com Lister, T. (2011). Tunisian protests fuelled by social media networks. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com Maria, K. (2012). Social media: The new news source. Retrieved from http://www.schools.com McCullagh, D. (2012). Feds snoops on social network accounts without warrants. Retrieved from http://www.news.cnet.com Rodrigues, O. R. (2012, August 09). False shootout status causes pain in Mexico City. The World Post Retrieved from http://www.huffingpost.com