Demystifying Cyberia

Internet has become our virtual world and social networking sites like Orkut, Facebook, MySpace among many others are acting as tools that bind people together. But if you think that these sites are just another way to reach out to friends and colleagues then think again! Social networking sites on the Internet not only serve as a meeting ground for like-minded people, but also defy the geographical boundaries between them. They enable you to interact with people who share similar tastes and interests.

Online Networking has moved on from being just another fad to a social phenomenon and an influential one at that. Let’s just look at some bare facts- Google’s highly popular social networking platform Orkut was launched in January 2004. By the end of July 2004 it had crossed the 1 million member mark and the latest figures suggest that Orkut has more that 67,000,000 members (Wikipedia rocks!!). Similarly MySpace has about 70 million users spread all across the globe. The numbers definitely are mind boggling.

Networking Blues

Any networking site is similar to each other in a way as during the initial sign up process members are asked to provide their basic information. This includes small bits of general information like favourite music, cinema genre, books, TV shows to some more personal details like contact number, address to even sexual orientation. Although all information supplied is optional for the user, according to rapidly evolving but basically amorphous ‘cyber ethics’ it’s uncool to appear coy in the virtual world. Instant gratification is the biggest incentive through virtual friends and concocted affections are one of the biggest USP of online camaraderie and by being prude the individual creates a barrier around him/her.

Till this point everything is good but the moment any over-enthusiastic user makes sensitive information like personal contact details (like mobile number/e-mail id) or sexual proclivities public the situation gets a bit problematic. Caution is something we practice in our daily lives as any of natural tendency. Strangely the moment we ‘log-in’ to our online profile we let our guard down. People easily part with their telephone numbers and share pictures with a perfect stranger about whose identity/background we can never be sure of. The knowledge that the incognito of anonymity will aid their misdeeds has endeared the web to mischief makers but is that a fault of the medium?

Don’t Shoot the Messenger

The recent spurt of cyber crimes (‘Orkut Crimes’ as the Indian media calls it) has resulted in calls from certain section of society that these sites be either regulated or shut-down. Now we don’t shoot the messenger who delivers a bad news! Similarly we need to understand that the web and the networking sites are just a medium and not the reason of the crimes. Orkut, which happens to be the most popular networking site in India, has recently been involved in various controversies. According to statistics available with the Delhi Police, a total of 17 cases related to hacking, obscenity, e-commerce fraud and Internet-related crimes were registered in 2006 from Delhi NCR region. Now this is a substantial number in a country where there are only 2 personal computers per 100 people! These figures don’t mean that the spurt in the popularity levels of social networking sites are the bane of the web world, especially in India. What they mean is that our Cyber laws are ambiguous and inadequate to curb modern day cyber crimes. What we really need is to be more aware and get a hang of these new technological forms. It is very easy to blame technology for everything but while doing so what we forget is that is just a reflection of what’s going on in the real world.

Networking for a Cause

Innumerable political and civil strife have ensured that at any given time there are millions of refugees spread across the length and breadth of the globe. This pain is shared only by those who have suffered it or witnessed it first hand. In such circumstances internet becomes a really powerful and effective medium for these people to share their experience and sometimes to form a kind of public opinion for their cause. The example of Tibetan people living in India explains this phenomenon effectively.

A sizeable numbers of Tibetans call India home for past two-three generations now but still their status here is that of refugees and also they are very particular about maintaining a separate identity for all these decades. The current net savvy generation is now taking the protest against Chinese occupation to their homeland inside the World Wide Web. Their community on Orkut and Hi5 is growing at an exponential rate and the depth of discussion that is being held on these communities is simply amazing.

No doubt it is a two edged weapon as this very platform is also used for carrying hate campaigns and spreading communalism. On October 10, 2006 Mumbai High Court's Aurangabad bench served a notice on Google for allowing a hate campaign against India, refering to a community on Orkut called 'We Hate India'. Similarly politicians like Arjun Singh and Mayawati have been targeted by individuals for various reasons and despite legal notices nothing substantial have come out of it.

Now What?

The unfortunate death of the Mumbai lad Adnan Patrawala could very well have been avoided had he taken some other friend or family member to meet his Orkut friends. Social networking sites encourage people to make ‘virtual friends’ and allows them to do so in an uninhibited manner i.e. without the fear of them being judged on the basis of their appearance etc. But everyone has to draw a line when it comes to sharing personal information with a stranger, how so ever friendly he may seem. Finally to conclude on a bright note, a study commissioned in US by the National School Boards Association surveyed students between nine and 17 years as well as parents and teachers to find out the number of people who have faced a cyber stalker or has been victimised through any of the social networking sites. The report said over 96 per cent of students with online access used one of these social networking services but only 0.08% actually met a person they got acquainted with online. So the bottom-line of the whole issue is a guideline for parents (ya even the overbearing ones!)-give your children space to grow but don’t leave them alone!