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Leo Miguel
Kaye Dutrow
ENG 101
4/17/12
Misuse of Internet
When it comes to the topic of internet use, most of us will readily agree that it is a
beneficial resource to everybody, especially for organizations, businesses, and government.
People in our community can access information from these organizations faster, easier, and at a
convenient time. Where this agreement usually ends, however, is the question of young people
having too much freedom. Some are convinced that the internet has a poor security that leads to
theft and piracy, whereas others maintain that the internet disrupts learning.
Internet is a global network which is used by everyone and influences gender, culture and
beliefs. Therefore, kids are exposed to material that is inappropriate for them such as violent
games and nudity. Although, there are sites and filtering software currently available to prevent
unsupervised activity on the internet, the freedom limit of internet use has been exceeded based
on the amount of problems reported in the last past years.
Hasan Huseyin Ozkan, states that Internet is inevitably becoming more and more
valuable in the field of education because it is the most valuable learning environment for the
people of information society providing written, oral, and visual communication between
students and teachers(499). However, educational in general includes childrens academic
development, who are the ones most affected for the misuse of the internet.

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The use of internet has developed tremendously since it has the potential of being widely
used due to the variety of information that it offers. Basically, there is an answer for every
question you have. Especially Google, it displays a variety of suggestions when searching for a
topic. However, if not used for constructive purposes, this useful technology can be harmful. For
example, when children and young people use the internet they become exposed to a variety of
activities. Among them are the following: spending more time online which can easily lead to
depression or lack of social interaction, surfing the web, playing violent games that persuades
them to change their behavior towards others, chatting or shopping online without the consent of
risks of theft.
According to Samuel Greengard, there is approximately 2 billion people accessing the
Internet and 5 billion people using mobile phones or other sophisticated devices that allows
teenagers, 13- 17 years-old, to be digitally connected for 3.5 hours a day (Greengard). The use of
internet is causing social isolation and depression because young people are spending most of
their free time misusing the internet for anonymous identity experimentation; an example of this
is Facebook, this site it does not have full control of its users. Frequently, children are seen with
Facebook accounts putting false information regarding their ages. But not only children, there
are adults using a false name to not reveal their real identity. Young people should not have too
much freedom on the internet because most of them don't understand the implications of their
actions on the Internet.
Since the internet became very common, it is now an advanced technological tool that
allows people to collect information without consent. Unfortunately, people have too much
freedom on the internet that they end up misusing the internet in various ways: hacking or
breaking into a computer system, sites containing nudity, malicious code, cyber bullying, and

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sites that promote or practice gambling involving the use of actual money. Our young people are
growing up into this type of society that is not very constructive for them for the years to come.
It is possible to help solve the issue by not allowing too much freedom on the internet and
ensuring a better future for our next generation.
In addition of too much freedom, the other huge issue that is seen is the identity theft and
piracy. Theft and piracy occurs when someone uses another person's name, Social Security
number, or credit card number, without permission, to commit fraud or other crimes. The crime
takes many forms: identity thieves may rent an apartment, obtain a credit card, or establish a
telephone account in someone else's name. According to the estimates of the Federal Trade
Commission, 9 million Americans have their identities stolen each year (Millions of identities
stolen yearly). One key element to prevent identity theft is to be educated and to be proactive.
There are simple ways to avoid the hassle. One should never carry its Social Security card,
people should be very careful whether to give or not their personal information over the phone,
like checking account or debit card information, and should not leave outgoing mail in a home
mailbox.
Recently, I was searching online for a car in different websites because I needed a car
desperately. I found a very nice truck for $3,000.00 listed for sale within Maryland; I was so
happy and excited to buy that truck. I had the money and I was decided to buy it. It was hard to
believe that the price was so cheap; I called my coworker just to ask for suggestions and he made
me clear that if it did not sounded clear is because it was a scam. Having that in mind, I
submitted my information to be contacted to arrange a time to go look at the truck. Later on, the
response to my question was an email saying that they were out of town and that eBay was
handling the transaction. Therefore, I called eBay to confirm if they handle third party

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transactions or ship vehicles. After running the owners email in their system, eBay confirmed
that it was a scam and that there were many other reports on the same e-mail address. I was
shocked.
Furthermore, the most common fact of piracy in todays time is the piracy of music.
People today download free music from the internet instead of buying the music. Last year, the
Government Accountability Office (GAO) reported that sectors facing threats from digital piracy
includes the music, motion picture, television, publishing, and software industries (Internet
Piracy) So, piracy impacts virtually any online industry that relies on copyright protection. As
the internet and new electronics developed it gave more access for thieves to steal. In sum, the
theft of intellectual property is harmful in several ways. First, it harms the content and the
trademark in the form of lost sales and lost brand value. Second, it harms consumers, who
receive lower quality products and inauthentic products. Third, it harms the Federal and State
government in the form of lost tax revenues and higher law enforcement costs.
Despite such difficulties, technological innovation is showing no sign of slowing down.
As we see today people are carrying powerful portable computers. For example, the trends
toward wireless connectivity as touch screen devices, voice recognition software, and alternative
power sources will continue. As new development comes up, people should manage the use of
internet, instead of the internet being used against them. Daily internet use does include potential
detrimental effects upon the psychosocial development and behavior of adolescents (Dimitrios).
Young people today spend a lot of time on the internet. In other words, they are being
seduced by the social media. For example, when a person is in a virtual conversation he/she feels
forced to answer a comment or respond to a message that another person posts. This is bad

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because young people are not having time for outdoor activities which helps them to develop self
esteem to live a happy life, leadership skills that helps them in the real work field, and
communication skills that helps them throughout their lives. In general is to enhance their
lifestyles. The fact is that children sits for hours in front of a computer and the results is that they
gain weight, they harm their vision, and they do not learn.
Moreover, the internet is a very good educational tool although it can be a disruptive
presence in the life of young people and classrooms (Lougheed). Students may not act
responsibly towards their academic responsibilities due to the time they spend on the internet. As
a result, In the U.S. business schools that have invested a great deal of effort and expense to
embrace this technology are now finding that they have to set rules to reduce the distractions it's
causing in class. For instance, when students are in front a computer in a classroom it is difficult
to keep them focused on the subject because they can be distracted easily by games, online
music, or chatting; it becomes a challenge for the instructor teaching and annoying for the rest of
the class. Now, this is the perfect time for parents to step in and guide their children onto paths of
success, in the same way internet providers, or even the government should do.
As mentioned in the beginning, the misuse of internet affects all gender and all cultures
positively and negatively. Many internet users around the world has benefited from this
technology because it has the potential to change nature and diversity of economic, social, and
interpersonal relations. Despite its positive aspect, whether is acceptable or not. The internet it is
linked to a variety of problems and it is visible in families, schools, and even in work places. To
sum up, some people are addicted to the internet use, while others use the internet in order to
escape from social interactions. It is seen all the time and the results is that people spend less
time with family. The internet draws anybody to isolation.

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In conclusion, the misuse of internet has become a big concern for our community since
it affects the development of our young citizens educationally and intellectually. In short, it is a
threat to government, businesses, and institutions because employees use internet frequently and
are distracted easily, maybe even more than children. In order to maintain a secure network,
parents need to use filtering software to monitor their children and be engage with their children
in different outdoor activities. Also, the filtering should be used in schools, colleges and other
educational institutes so that the students use internet solely for educational purposes. Last, the
government should have more regulations on businesses and on internet servers when it comes to
publishing online. It is more effective to block unhealthy activities from the servers end, so it is
secure and people cannot bypass it easily.

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Work cited
Dimitrios Kafetzis, et al. "Internet Use And Misuse: A Multivariate Regression Analysis Of The
Predictive Factors Of Internet Use Among Greek Adolescents." European Journal Of
Pediatrics 168.6 (2009): 655-665. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28 Feb. 2012.
Greengard, Samuel. "Living In A Digital World." Communications Of The ACM 54.10 (2011):
17-19. Academic Search Premier. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
"Internet Piracy." Congressional Digest 90.9 (2011): 257. Academic Search Premier. Web. 28
Feb. 2012.
Lougheed, Tim. "The Internet Can Disrupt Learning." Has Technology Increased Learning? Ed.
Roman Espejo. Detroit: Greenhaven Press, 2009.
"Millions of identities stolen each year." Jacksonville Journal-Courier [Jacksonville, IL] 11 Feb.
2012. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context. Web. 6 Mar. 2012.
Ozkan, Hasan Huseyin. "Cooperative learning technique through Internet based education: a
model proposal." Education 130.3 (2010): 499+. Gale Opposing Viewpoints In Context.
Web. 5 Apr. 2012.