Craigslist in Crisis, Outline Example

Introduction

• The purpose of this paper is to examine the dangers of using social media without being cautious of its potentially lethal impacts.
• Even though social media is often used responsibly, when used for malicious purposes, social media can lead to both physical and emotional harm.
• Social media has been used for negative purposes which can lead to loss of employment, cyberbullying, Facebook stalking, and even murder.

Dangers and Pitfalls of Social Media

• Social Media and Cyberbullying
• Cyberbullying offers no escape because once a post “goes viral,” it is on the Internet forever.

• Cowie (2012) states that children who are cyberbullied are more likely to experience depression, anxiety, phobias, paranoia, headaches, abdominal pain, insomnia, and have behavioral problems.
• Negative Consequences for Employment
• Users post information freely and do not think about professional consequences.
• Businesses use social media to screen and monitor employees (Shullich, 2012).
• Increase Risk for Malware
• According to a Sophos survey in 2010, 40% of participants reported receiving malware on social networks (Shullich, 2012).
• Shullich (2012) states that social media can be a tool for “corporate espionage.”
• Cyberstalking and Social Media
• Individuals monitor wall posts and pictures on social media websites, often Facebook
• Information is used to harm their victims emotionally and physically.
• Shullich (2012) reports that information in social media is easily accessible because users submit personal information.

Death Due to Social Media

• Suicides occur due to cyberbullying (i.e. Megan Meier)
• Craigslist has become a medium for major scams and violent crimes (i.e. Julissa Brisman)
• Social Media can be Used Responsibly
• Builds relationships and increases social capital.
• Able to share knowledge and information.

Conclusion

• While the majority of individuals use social media for positive purposes, results aredevastating when used negatively.
• Based on the literature, social media must be used with caution or else people may fall prey to dangerous individuals.
• The literature review can be used as a platform to instruct individuals to protect themselves from crimes associated with social media, and to use social media as a means to trap criminals and prevent them from hurting others.

References
a. Ahn, J. (2011). The effect of social network sites on adolescents’ social and academic development: Current theories and controversies. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(8), 1435-1445. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.21540/epdf

Cowie, H. (2013) Cyberbullying and its impact on young people’s emotional health and well-being. The Psychiatrist, 37, 167-170. http://pb.rcpsych.org/content/37/5/167#BIBL

Marwick, AE. (2012). The public domain: Surveillance in everyday life. Surveillance & Society, 9(4), 378-393. http://www.surveillance-and-society.org.

Oravec, J. (2014). Craigslist in crisis: Issues of censorship and moral panic in the context of online communities. International Journal of the Academic Business World, 8(2), 1-11. http://jwpress.com/IJABW/Issues/IJABW-Fall-2014.pdf

Shullich, R. (2012). Risk assessment of social media. The SANS Institute InfoSec Reading Room, 1-46. http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whitepapers/riskmanagement/risk-assessment-social-media-33940