If social media is used in a clueless way, this can have emotional, social, financial, and even legal

consequences. In some cases, it can even lead to personal data being shared. Children and
teenagers are especially exposed to the social media risks, but this doesn’t mean that adults,
authorities, banks, and even large internet companies are not immune.

Social networks are more important than ever. From the approximate 3.43 billion internet users
worldwide, 2.28 billion (almost a third of the world’s population) regularly visits social networks –
and the trend is rising. As the platform with the most monthly clicks, Facebook is leading the way
and is even celebrating a double victory among mobile device users with its partner, WhatsApp.

The enthusiasm for sharing sloth and cat photos may be great, but where there’s more people, it
makes it easier for tricksters to lurk. In real life, they are attracted by street festivals, crowded train
carriages, and bustling tourist attractions; in the digital world, it’s social networks that are flashing
beacons for hackers and cyber criminals.

Young people are particularly prone to becoming addicted to the internet: in a phase or life where
social contact with peers plays a major role in self-esteem and identification, likes and requests for
friendship tempt people to spend more and more time in front of the screen.

Similar to a gambling addiction, the high feeling when the body releases endorphins can only be felt
for a fraction of a second – when the notification shows you have a message or a friend has liked
your post. As soon as the smartphone is out of sight, many people start to feel uncomfortable and as
if they’re missing out. It’s hard to imagine a time when smartphones didn’t exist.

While some people receive their daily dose of happiness from the internet, many have to prepare
themselves for the worst when they log onto their social network: they are victims of cyber bullying
or stalking. Students that are picked on in the classroom often find that this inexcusable behavior
spills over into the digital world. This may include threats of violence, slander, or even leaking
personal images. Victims of stalkers are often confronted with threatening messages. By uploading
photos that anyone can see, users make it much easier for potential stalkers to get ammo.

Parents should therefore talk to their children about the dangers of social media before allowing
them to create an account. It is particularly important to focus on the importance of privacy
settings. The less personal data that is publicly accessible, the better. TrendMicro has analyzed
various sources, which has shown that culprits mostly use information about their victim’s school
(according to 61% of users), home town (48%), or vacation plans (26%) to harass or threaten.

If you navigate around the internet, you’ll leave traces. Anyone who makes their Facebook timeline
public and feeds the Silicon Valley giant with information on their age, favorite music/games/brands,
etc. will end up leaving a digital footprint as big as Godzilla’s. You can read it clearly in the general
terms and conditions: Facebook not only has the rights to all the images you upload onto the
platform, but it can also sell public profile data on (i.e. like a digital dossier) to its partners. However,
many users do not see this as a problem: after all, a quarter of those surveyed were happy to see
personal advertising based on data evaluation. This makes searching for consumer goods a lot
easier.

However, everyone should be aware that this could end up with your data falling into the hands of
criminals. In addition, users are rarely aware of how far their data travels on the net. Even if you
download an app, you often have the choice to allow the app access to certain information. This
personal data is what makes social media users interesting for companies – sometimes you can
earn real money by selling this information or at least tailoring advertising to the user.

Compared to this, personalized advertising is a relatively harmless use of personal data. When so-
called social engineers get hold of your data, the threat is a lot bigger. They are modern-day con
artists: social engineers deceive their victims to get their data or money. They use different methods
to do this: as a rule, they adopt a false identity to gain the trust of their potential victim. Either they
present themselves as someone from the authorities (e.g. someone from a bank or from the
government) or they impersonate friends or relatives. They do this by hacking accounts and then
writing to the contacts, for example.

Baiting is a special kind of social engineering: providers of supposedly free downloads ask for your
account login information, which they then use to access your e-mail. Quid Pro Quo is a method
whereby fraudsters pretend to offer certain services or information if the user follows their
instructions or divulges technical data beforehand.

An example: if the con artist is pretending to be from an IT company that offers a quick fix for
common bugs, they might ask the victim to turn off their firewall and install an update. This update
then turns out to be a virus or spyware.

Phishing attacks feed on victims’ fear and their trust in authorities. For example, many phishing e-
mails base their text and design on those from banks and renowned service providers. They then
link to websites similar to those of respected authorities. If you enter your bank details there, they will
be forwarded directly to cybercriminals. Another possibility is identity theft, where the perpetrators
do business or commit crimes under your name.

Are you looking for a new job or have you just got to know the love of your life? Social media offers
many possibilities to leave an impression on others – both positive and negative. A good 75% of HR
managers get their first impression of applications by checking Facebook and other social media
platforms. If you decided to make photos of your alcohol or drug binges available to the public, this
will reduce your chances of getting the job. Also, if there are many statuses bad-mouthing you, this
can also hinder your chances. However, not every social media mistake is self-inflicted: blackmailers
or personal enemies can easily spread posts online to damage your reputation. These social media
dangers range from defamation to revenge porn. Although these platforms have rules of conduct
set up as well as moderators on hand to delete any posts that break these rules, they can’t always
react straightaway. Juicy content can therefore be shared quite quickly. In such cases, victims can
only be helped by documenting who had access to the relevant data, and then going to the police.
Many companies use social networks to increase their reach and communicate with customers.
However, large institutions or companies often have a large number of accounts that need to be
managed. If there is no leading position that takes care of how accurate and how up-to-date topics
are, this quickly makes a bad impression on readers. This lack of content organization is one of the
social media dangers that many companies underestimate. The comment column should never be
left unmoderated: a discussion full of insults will deter new readers. If the company doesn’t
intervene, this could also damage their image. Scandals are inevitable and could lead to a PR
nightmare.

Businesses should offer courses as well as implement a social media policy. It’s also a good idea
to have restricted access for certain employees. These can help you secure a successful online
presence, but legal protection is also important. One of the biggest threats in social networks is
hackers, who either falsify content or distribute viruses and worms to customers after they’ve taken
over an unsuspecting victim’s account.

Phishing and redirecting users to malicious websites is also on the rise among cybercriminals.
Depending on the type of attack, financial damage can occur in addition to reputational damage.