The Downside of Social Networking

I want to establish right off the bat that I am a social networking user. I have a Facebook account. I have a MySpace account. I'm a believer that the technology is fundimentally good. I just think there are some flaws, and those flaws coupled with the unwashed mass's stupidity about what to, and more so, what not to post, on their pages is a sure-fire formula for disaster.

Just ask President-elect Barack Obama. According to CNN.com, both he and Britney Spears experienced what can happen when hackers come to play. Their Twitter accounts were compromised, which allowed hackers to post whatever they felt like on their accounts. Fortunately, the hack was caught relatively early, so no permanent damage was done.

But this story exposes how real the threat of being hacked is. Add to that the type of content that people, especially high school and college students, have decided to share with the world, and you've got a situation where the negative use of the technology might just outweigh the positive potential.