Nikki Cheshire 10/31/2012 Psych 100H Ray Value of Internet Relationships for Adolescence As psychology has shown us multiple

times, people are naturally social creatures. Weve evolved to form complex relationships with one another, and this process has been shaped through millions of years of social interaction. As a result, people of all ages crave developing a social network, which leads to the forming of friends and acquaintances outside of the nuclear family setting. In recent years, the increasing prominence of the internet in households across the world has allowed for a new outlet for forming social connections with people. With the advent of networking sites like Facebook, chatrooms and online dating services like eHarmony, people have begun utilizing the internet in order to make friends. The creation of these relationships, however, are not done traditionally, which raises the argument that they could in fact impair the social development of adolescents as they turn away from conversing face-toface with other people in a non-virtual manner. However, while this is a potentially dangerous side-effect of internet usage, if adolescents are taught how to balance online relationships with traditional socialization methods, than the internet can in fact be extremely beneficial to social development. One of the main problems of internet relationships which can potentially be one of the most dangerous aspects of it is the fact that users can decide how to portray themselves on their profiles. As a result, people obtain a false sense of security and end

up revealing information and saying things they wouldnt normally have the audacity to say in real life. This effect, referred to as the Online Disinhibition Effect, is described as a loosening (or complete abandonment) of social restrictions and inhibitions that would otherwise be present in normal face-to-face interaction during interactions with others on the internet (Suler). Consequently, adolescents may have trouble differentiating between what behaviors, words and actions are acceptable in a daily social situation if everything is virtual. In a time where the exploration of ones identity and relationships is vital, the Online Disinhibition Effect can be extremely dangerous to the developing adolescent as they encounter the dark underworld of the Internetplaces of pornography, crime, and violenceterritory they would never explore in the real world (Suler). Another damaging effect of the internet to adolescents is the fact that these users are more prone to engaging in cyberbullying, harassment and behaviors such as sexting (OKeeffe). According to OKeeffe, the majority of internet risks for the younger population fall into the following categories: peer-to-peer; inappropriate content; lack of understanding of online privacy issues; and outside influences of third-party advertising groups. Adolescents are more susceptible to peer pressure, and as a result, are therefore more likely to behave in ways that arent socially acceptable and can lead to terrible results including depression, self-harm and, in extreme cases, suicide. However, the internet if properly balanced can actually prove to be more beneficial to social development than solely traditional methods. After all, the internet can be applied to networking in multiple different ways. For example, the primary use for the web is for communication, which is multi-dimensional and includes two main types of interactions: (1) public chatrooms, where chat is often based on anonymous

communication between unacquainted partners, and (2) Instant Messaging (IM), which mostly involves non-anonymous communication between acquainted partners (Valkenburg and Peter). Due to the varying uses and roles of these two forms of communication, they end up with different purposes and results. Because of their nature, public chatrooms are used more for creating relationships, while IM is more geared towards maintaining existing relationships (Valkenburg and Peter). As a result, adolescents have the opportunity to increase the scope of their social development and networking as they can now connect with more people than ever before. Additionally, a study of adolescents' friendship networks revealed that participants who had a cohesive, highly interconnected friendship network reported less loneliness, less depressed mood, and more support from their friends, proving that if they can contact their friends more easily to discuss events or problems in their life, it can reduce anxiety and stress (Subrahmanyam and Lin). When participants were asked about their real-life relationships with chat partners, 23.7% responded that their chat partner was a very good friend with whom they hang out all the time and 21.8% responded that their partner was a friend with whom they hang out occasionally (Subrahmanyam and Lin). Therefore, if the internet is balanced with real-life interactions, and used in a way that enhances the development of relationships and social networks, then its usage can be incredibly beneficial to adolescents. As time progresses, the internet will continue to evolve and spread, and more and more people especially adolescents will be drawn into using it on a regular basis. If theres an increased focus on balancing internet relationships with real-life networking outlets, rather than just stating its entirely a waste of time, then the benefits can far

outweigh the harm done. While its true that the internet can be dangerous, there is a distinct advantage here for adolescents if used properly: an easier way to create, manage and maintain relationships with people they care about.

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