The 2go Phenomenon Treat or Trap (Part 2) Last week, we took a tour through the many benefits that

currently entice intern et users to social networking sites. Among those mentioned were such advantages like staying connected with friends and people with similar interests, free adve rtising and global exposure. These and other perks have so far been able to lure about 800 million active users, who speak more than 70 languages, to Facebook, according to the website statistics. About 350 million of these active users cur rently access Facebook through their mobile devices. The intense traffic is not limited to Facebook. On the local Nigerian scene, pop ular social networking sites like 2go, Twitter, Flickr, Myspace, Bebo, Friendsta r and others also attract an immense followership. If the popularity of the 2go mobile chat platform in Nigeria is anything to go by, then the claim by the site that about 30% of the countrys teeming youth mobile users are members of 2go may not be far from correct. It is not uncommon to see a zealous 2go member spendin g upwards of 5 to 10 hours online a day. Social sites are a big hit nowadays; no t just with the young generation but with people of all ages because it is an am azing platform for people to connect. With all the technological hype flying around, few people seem to realize or car e about the dangers that social media brings to our lives. But the influx of fan s to social networking sites would not have raised any eyebrows if this was a ri sk-free adventure. The truth of the matter is that almost all social networking sites are fraught with a myriad of dangers for the unwary surfer. Considering th e fact that the average internet-compliant but ignorant youth views 2go, or any other social networking site, as a harmless beach in which to frolic, it might b ecome necessary to pause and examine the hidden dangers lurking underneath the i nnocent looking sand. Are you among the many that throng social networking sites and chat rooms on a d aily basis? The adage about the forewarned being the forearmed will surely be of an advantage to you. Surfing the internet, which many view as a stroll down the garden path, hides many innocuous thorns that often reach out unexpectedly to p rick the unwary. Protect yourself by watching out for the following dangers. Identity theft Surfing through internet sites, especially a social media site, can be compared to walking on a clean, tiled floor with muddy feet. One is sure to leave a trail of footprints. Visits to social networking sites often leave behind footprints of sensitive information. With just a cursory search, a criminal can have access t o names, birth dates, family members, school and work history, and much more on anyone. They can also retrieve e-mail addresses, credit card information, and fr om there, such ones can get access to bank accounts and identity information. Th e truth is that it doesnt take a genius to steal a persons identity online. Such information can then be used against you, with many financial repercussions like credit card theft and others crimes. At other instances, the consequences may be more severe. Think about a situation where someone commits crimes in your name. The unnerving fact is that it can be done so easily. Because these sites are based on friendship contacts and the passing along of bits of personal infor mation, thieves realized the potential instantly. There are endless social netwo rking scams that crooks can try to pull off with this medium. Consider the case of one of the newest mainstream social networks, Twitter, whic h is based on people following others and getting to read their tweets of 140 ch aracters or less. The danger in this site lies in the fact that, since many peop le want as many followers as possible, they are not shy about what they say in t heir tweets. The ultimate goal on these sites is to have as many friends as poss ible. As such, users do not have any qualms about replying to a message from a s

tranger or adding complete strangers as friends. With the influx of so many peop le who logged in and contribute information constantly, criminals with enough pa tience, can find and exploit such discoveries as phone numbers, e-mail addresses and other personal information that was originally meant for individuals rather than the general public. Impersonation Facebook, the biggest social network in the world, has become a huge software pl atform that houses every application imaginable and millions of games and groups but the site is by no means a risk-free game house. The shocking reality is tha t, like many other social media sites, Facebook is a haven for con-artists and i mpostors, who hide behind a false identity to entrap, dupe or harass the unwary. One favorite ploy involves assuming the identity of someone prominent, and frien ding as many people as possible. Others go for emotional entrapment. The friendsh ip begins very innocently but you only become friends to a profile, not a person , and there is no guarantee that the profile has any truth whatsoever in it. If a con artist is patient, he can build a good trust relationship and then spring any number of traps from fake lucrative investment schemes to a great opportunit y that cannot be passed by. In some cases the victims themselves offer to help o ut financially and are thus scammed of their hard earned cash without even havi ng to be asked to hand over money. Blackmail Posting pictures and comments is an intrinsic part of the social networking land scape. A user might talk about his or her political views, religion, sexual pref erence, or point of view on various issues? In a bid to attract attention to th eir page, some people resort to posting provocative pictures or outrageous comme nts. But the question is: who exactly are you talking to? Who else can read your comment or has access to your pictures? Is there a possibility that a rash comm ent or a nude picture posted at a moment of indiscretion may return to haunt you at a later date? What if your friend turns out to be a criminal out to gather inf ormation for blackmail? Often we have almost no control over the data that is we have already stored on the web. Although we may try to retrieve or delete posted information there are often trails and duplicates left behind. Once it is out there it can, such dammi ng information can be used in ways you hadnt thought about before. How about a st atus update on Twitter, 2go or other social networks? Im traveling to Lagos for tw o weeks may sound harmless right until you realise how easy it is or a crook to f igure out your address then empty your house at leisure while you are away in La gos. Pornography A rising tide of social network users are succumbing to the lure of pornography. People of loose morals have found mobile application like 2go, for instance, to be a perfect platform for advertising sexual services. Often, such persons bomb ard others in the same chat room with nude pictures calculated to elicit interes t and attract potential clients. The dangers of such an environment are obviousl y incalculable, especially for the young and impressionable children who may ven ture to such rooms out of curiosity. Ruined Reputations The internet often strips a person of inhibitions. This results from the fact th at the user, lulled into a false sense of security by the absence of direct huma n contact, naively forget about the public nature of the medium he or she is usi ng, the available audience and the possible repercussions of what is to be poste d. It is not unusual to find a user posting comments that the same person will t hink twice before using in everyday conversation or posting a picture that he or she will never think of sharing offline. Such absence of inhibition cannot be w ithout consequences. An individuals reputation might be irretrievably ruined when

such a persons online activities tumble offline or become common knowledge. In a d ifferent slant, a chat room may be the only tool that a vicious gossip needs to tear a persons reputation to shreds, sometimes with merely a few slanderous messa ges sent to an endless list of friends. Dating scams A growing population of young men and women both at home and abroad make their l iving off internet dating scams. For many, the first red flag usually pops up wh en the friend requests for monetary assistance. In recent times, though, some have taken the game to a higher level. A guy suggested that his social network sweeth eart should meet him in a different country so that they could get married there. Prior to this time he had requested for a loan from the young woman to finance an urgent project. The marriage proposal followed when she could not produce the req uired sum. However, research by the girls concerned relatives after uncovering he r wedding plans revealed that the country which he suggested as the venue for the nuptials is well known for human trafficking. The truth was that the lover boys p loy, when he failed to extort money from his love, was to arrange to sell her into prostitution. His plans would have succeeded but for the prompt intervention of the girls parents. This story highlights the serious danger posed by social medi a, especially when one considers the additional emotional trauma that can be inf licted on teenagers who may become devastated when they finally realize that the ir internet friend or love was just a hoax. Waste of Valuable Time It goes without saying that time is one of the most valuable assets that is avai lable to all persons in precisely the same measure. But for the social networkin g freak, the dictates of time may fall on deaf ears in the pursuit of the next c hat session, message or tweet. Thus precious time that would have otherwise been invested in other profitable endeavours is frittered away on a regular basis. T hose with a bad dose of chat mania even ignore or forget important business appo intments, studies et cetera, while under the networking haze. Conclusion Whether a user realises the fact or not, the internet remains an information sup er highway where all kinds of persons (good and bad) hurtle along at breakneck s peed everyday on their various agenda. As noted earlier, social media sites can be a treasure house of advantages. However, the risks mentioned above indicate t hat personal privacy and security have been seriously challenged and are losing ground to social media. Although many claim that they have nothing to hide, this i s a naive stance to adopt on this subject, in view of the enormous dangers invol ved. Unwitting revealing too much information about yourself will only give inte rnet con artistes more ammunition with which to attack you. Caution is therefore essential in your trip through social networking sites. Man y people today have been lulled into a false sense of security in many social we bsites and have laid themselves open to danger. Parents especially do well to as k themselves: What social sites and chat rooms are my young children visiting an d what comments and pictures are they posting there? Is s/he communicating with a person of malicious intent? Never make the classic mistake of thinking that th is could never happen to you or your loved ones. Always be on guard. Moreover, Children who are taught about the dangers of social media and who have the reasons for caution explained to them might be more receptive to restrictio ns and respectful of it. Be acutely aware of the hazards of social network sites and use them only to share and promote positive ideas and relationships. Never trifle with confidential information. Keep clear of pornography and watch out fo r dating scammers and identity thieves as well as impersonators and blackmailers . Once you have understood both the advantages and disadvantages of social netwo rking, you will be better equipped to relate in this virtual world. It is true t hat 2go and other social networking sites can offer a delightful treat, but they also hide some dangerous traps. Keep informed in order to sidestep the pitfalls

as you can embark on a safe and enjoyable social networking experience.