Maureen Molak: The Mother Of A Teenager

The Internet has proven itself to be helpful, but it can also be a scary place. When the Internet first emerged, it was difficult to gauge its full potential. The Internet was actually created as a “military communications network in the 1960s” (Campbell et al., 2016, p. 41). However, the Internet became a more integral part of society around the 21st century when it transformed into a hub of information and entertainment. The film, The Net, features the early years of the Internet and the dangers that came with it. This film took a radical stance about how the Internet can damage a person’s life. The film remains relevant today since it inspires paranoia regarding the fragile safety

One of the main hazards that Social Networking can bring is Sexual Predators. Vicki Haddock a journalist for the San Francisco Chronicle believes, “the internet was once seen as a Golden information superhighway” (Document C). In which people were able to see the next generation of what was called the promise

In her 2008 article, The Flip Side of Internet Fame, Jessica Bennett explores some of the problems created by the nature of the Internet in connection with the consequences of publicly-released information in the digital age. She details the account of a teenager whose life was affected very adversely by someone else's choice to post an embarrassing video of him without his permission. She also outlines some of the problems attributable to the fact that information posted online is not subject to any filter for accuracy, fairness, or appropriateness. Public posting forums allow the publication of defamatory statements about others with much fewer protections afforded by laws applicable to other types of injurious and untrue communications about others.

While others use computers for online gambling others use the cyberspace as an easy tool to seek for sex. Perpetrators use the technology to hide their identities, some participants are married, well-educated with a college degree, politicians, male, and white, seeking being sex stimulated. Pornography Cyber-stalkers use the cyber space for harassing, and threat people by sending emails, letters, and text messages to their victims causing fear. In some cases stalkers use this technology to find personal information of their victims, such as address, phone number, email. People may use Cyber-hate to send anonymously hate messages toward others. This method also is use to express discrimination against minority groups through the cyberspace. Every day more and more crimes are committed thought the internet. If someone being victimized of a cyber-crime on the internet, is encourage to reporter it to the local law enforcement agency, resulting in

(Felczak et al, 2009). These rights include unfettered access to information and knowledge and the free exchange of ideas in the public sphere where everyone may participate in a mutually accountable debate, exchange of reasons, and opinions. (Habermas, 2004). In the 21st Century, the Internet has facilitated the equal opportunity for all participants to share information in a highly flexible environment. While the design of the Internet was to exist as a cooperative, non-hierarchal, communicative system for information sharing, it seamlessly developed into an extension of the public sphere. However, the advent of this new version of the public sphere came with a dark side of anonymity as exampled in the phenomena of

Workman illustrates what he believes is an accurate portrayal of the internet with several analogies. In his first point, or rather “digital norm”, Workman compares the internet to a playground, “As with the playground equipment in the schoolyard, however, what is intended as fun can still produce bruises and bleeding”(Workman, 371). Providing an analogy allows the reader to better understand the author is trying to make. The vast majority of people can easily visualize children playing in a park- but there are several people who have little experience with the internet or social media. In this case, Workman uses this analogy to show that the internet is, for the most part, a place for recreation. Websites such as Tumblr, Facebook, and YouTube are the equivalents to swings, slides, and monkey-bars- they are all intended to entertain the user. However, just as children

As technology evolves daily, offenders of sexual victimization will use this outlet to continue victimization. The internet is easily accessible and is used frequently by numerous people. When one is on the internet they are able to hide behind a computer screen. One way these offenders have used the internet for sexual victimization is creating create fake social media accounts where they pose as someone else. Although social media is intended to be a place to connect with friends and family, some have abused these websites and have become online predators. Offenders can target a victim by first following their profile, commenting on pictures, or statuses, and then began online chatting. Through these messages they can attempt to make false

It all started when she met Josh Evans on MySpace. He was sixteen years old, and Megan developed a crush on him. Out of nowhere, on October 15th, 2006, Josh Evans started insulting Megan and saying, “I don’t know if I want to be friends with you anymore because I’ve heard you are not very nice to your friends.” Josh Evans kept insulting her, saying, “The world would be a better place without you.” That message was the last message Megan ever read. After reading it, she rushed to her room and committed suicide. After the death of Megan, a neighbor came to the Meier’s house to inform them that Josh Evans’ myspace account was a fake account created by adults who lived right down the street. The creator of the account was Lori Drew, who used to be a very close family friend. Tina Meier, Megan’s mother, started the Megan Meier Foundation to raise awareness and help people assess the damage bullying causes. We have yet to find out if Lori Drew will suffer any consequences from her crime. Megan Meier’s anecdote on cyberbullying is just one example that shows how innocent people have to deal with something they do not

In the article Cyberstalking, personal privacy, and moral responsibility Herman T. Tavani and Frances S. Grodzinsky start by analyzing the topic of stalking. They start by giving the definition of stalking as being generally considered as being one in which an individual, the stalker, stealthily tracks the movement of another individual or individuals. The authors then proceed on portraying the topic of cyberstalking. They show that cyberstalking can be understood as a form of behavior in which certain types of stalking-related activities, which in the past have occurred in physical space, are extended to the on-line world. (Tavini and Grodzinsky p.123) To make more vivid, Tavani and Grodzinsky give an example of cyberstalking. They display that a 20 year old girl was murdered

“The Internet allows communication across national and international boundaries; but, not all of this communication is for benign purposes. The Internet provides easy utilization and relative anonymity to criminal’s intent on exploiting and/or stalking online victims through the perpetration of sex crimes. The nature of crimes committed electronically takes on a different character and presents unique difficulties for law enforcement.” (Taylor, Fritsch, & Liederbach)

The influence of language in framing an issue is demonstrated in the 2009 article, which does not mention the word paedophile, nor describes Newman as a predator. Instead, the report is framed to emphasis the unregulated nature of the internet. Newman created, “a cyberspace alter-ego” with, “no more substance than a dream,” moreover his “internet construct” was part of a “complex web of false identities” (Fewster, 2009). Thus, the focus is shifted to the uncontrollable, unknowable nature of the internet, rather than the ‘evilness’ of the perpetrator. The 2010 report also frames the internet as a problem by making the aspects of Newman’s online presence more salient or applicable in the mind of the reader. “The 50-year-old paedophile was logged onto another chat room when police arrived to arrest him in his house in Victoria”, had “up to 200 fictitious internet identities he had created to […] have sex with young girls”, and “after murdering, upon [his] return home [he] appeared to have continued on with [his] internet communications with young girls as if nothing has happened” (Dornin, 2010). The attribution of responsibility shifts expands to include both Newton’s unrepentance, and the unregulated nature of the internet.

As the internet and social media have made our lives easier, it has also become a easy way for child predators to get in touch with kids. Parents are very much unaware of how cyber-predators look for children of any age from elementary school to high school. Predators can come in diverse forms and have different intentions than other predators. Predators at the least can look for vulnerable children to create online sexual relations with. Next predators can try to meet face-to-face with children they found online and sexually assault them consensually or not. Finally, the worst a cyber-predator can do is find children to become a victim of human trafficking. However, the internet isn’t all a bad thing. It is a very easy and useful tool that

Regretfully, however, the Internet is not only beneficial to those who use it without malice – it can be used to recruit victims of human trafficking. Deception is unrestrained online, and it can lead to oneself, or loved ones falling prey to modern day slavery.

The widespread availability of the internet has produced a serge in communication in today’s society. The introduction of television to Australia in the 1950’s could be said to have had a proportionately similar effect. In today’s world the internet enables people to research, communicate and entertain across the globe at the touch of a computer key. However, the internet is sometimes seen, as a technology that contributes to the breakdown of the structure of community. In this essay I will discuss whether, the internet, in introducing a technology that enables the transfer of a seemingly unlimited quantity of uncensored information world-wide

It is evident that society has surrounded itself with technology. Technology and digital media are mass media outlets that will ultimately affect our perception and ability to interpret and actively analyze messages. Unfortunately, nefarious characters with shady intentions can take advantage of this and spread false information. Thus, technology and digital media degrade the most common forms of discussion. The rapid expansion of technology and digital media leads to poor mental health, decreased quality of face-to-face communication, and the inability to discern false media sources. It is imperative that society acknowledges our decline in face-to-face communication and respond as a unified unit to strive to step away from technology and to interact with those around us more effectively.