Moral panics and concerns with online technology

Advancements in online technology will open up a range of new opportunities but excessive use could also change our lives for the worse. For example, social networking sites like MySpace are becoming more popular as they are a quick and easy way to keep in touch with people you know and meet people that you don’t. However, as technology progresses people might be less inclined to make the effort to meet up with certain people in person if they are in frequent contact online. Also, as the technology gets more user friendly, a wider range of people will be able to use these networking sites; this means that more young children will be posting personal information that will be read by more adults, if their interaction leads to meeting in real life, this could create dangerous situations for paedophiles to pose as children, increasing the need for moderation on these sites and close observation must be kept on their content.

A moral argument could be made that social networking sites and services contribute to an already appearance obsessed society by creating an environment where a flattering photograph is the only visible part of you as you communicate with your friends. The social networking service ‘Second Life’ is the ultimate example of this as users create an avatar, personalising a virtual representation of themselves that others with interact with.