Is the Internet as Dangerous as the Physical World?

Introduction
In cyberspace, no one hears your screams.

(Merkow and Breithaupt, 2000)

Modern society depends on the technology of networked computing more than ever. Whether it
is the Internet, the World Wide Web (WWW), or other less well-known networks, people around
the world depend on it for multifarious reasons from work and entertainment to essentials of life
such as life support in medicine. Networked computing offers easy access, a large degree of
anonymity and while this presents us with unique opportunities, it also presents us with unique
dangers. In light of the increasing use and even dependence on networked computing, it is
pertinent to examine the social, physical and ethical dangers presented by it. This essay critically
debates the issue of whether the world of networked computing is as dangerous as the physical
world.

The Dangers on the Internet

One of the most disturbing crimes on the Internet today is ‘grooming’. Child grooming is an act
where a paedophile will befriend a child, or form an intimate relationship in order to lower a
child’s sexual inhibitions. Grooming will initiate from chat rooms designed for children and
teenagers and sometimes through emails, where an adult will pose as a teenager, but will often
move into using instant messaging services so that the paedophile can talk the victim into
sending images and even using a webcam. Research conducted by the Cyberspace Research Unit
at the University of Central Lancashire states “another of the frequent topics concerned on-line
grooming and in particular, ways in which to avoid detection” (O’Connell, 2003). While this
statement gives concern that paedophiles may be able to escape without notice, the report goes
on to say, “Throughout each of the stages there are clear and easily identifiable differences in the
patterns of behaviour of the individuals.” The stages that are talked about here are known as
‘Friendship forming state’ where the paedophile will just spend time getting to know the child,
‘Relationship forming state’ where the paedophile will start to ask questions about things such as
school and home life, ‘Risk assessment stage’ where the paedophile will ask the child questions
like who else uses the computer, ‘Exclusivity stage’ where the victim is encouraged to trust the
paedophile, and ‘Sexual stage’ where the paedophile will ask the child about previous intimate
experiences.

The virtual world is home to some serious negative and destructive electronic relationships.
Cyber bullying, one of the more common ones, is mainly targeted at school pupils in addition to
actual physical and verbal bullying. Carnell (2007) points out to evidence that many pupils are
being targeted in their own homes, by phone texts, silent calls, on instant messenger, and by
abusive websites and forums, some set up with the specific intention of causing humiliation and
embarrassment. This shows the severity of cyber bullying in society today.

Griffiths, M.D. (1998) offers the following explanation. The Internet is easy to access from home
or work. It is becoming quite affordable and has always offered anonymity. For some people it
offers an emotional and mental escape from real life, and this is especially true for individuals
who are shy or feel trapped in unhappy relationships. It is also true for individuals who work
long hours and have little opportunity for social life. Electronic (or internet) relationships started
off when chatrooms were introduced and really boomed since the creation of Instant Messaging.
A person can enter a chatroom, use an alias, and can talk to other members without revealing
their true identity. However, this raises an important question. If you can do all that without
revealing your true identity can you really trust the person you are talking to? Can you be certain
that they are being honest with you? Some say that it’s not real and therefore they don’t really
worry about it, while others suggest that Internet relationships have a way of tapping into deep
feelings and it’s easier to get hurt. Katz and Rice (2002, p286) suggest, “students are meeting
and “dating” on the internet…they even have monogamous relationships this way, telling others
who might ask that they will not go out with them because they are “dating” someone.” Various
researches suggest that it is more common for young people to meet and date people using the
Internet and it is becoming more widely accepted as a social meeting point. This however causes
concerns about why people are choosing to use the Internet for this reason. Many people feel
more comfortable talking about feelings over instant messaging, and this is especially true of shy
people or people that feel trapped in an offline relationship.

The Internet also has the notoriety of helping to create unhealthy addictions. The majority of UK
bookmakers now run online websites in which people can make exactly the same bets they
would in the betting shop, but from the comfort of their own home. The rate at which the online
gambling industry is commercialised today is astronomical. From 2005 to 2006 the sector has
become the fifth largest advertiser online, jumping to 2.5 billion from 911 million ads in the last
year (Schepp, 2002). And this is without the likes of TV ads, magazine ads, and adverts on the
radio. This means that the majority of people in society now see online gambling as more
acceptable than in recent years. Besides the increased risk of fraud on the Internet, the online
gambling also poses the serious problem of an easier way to get addicted. This is because it is
relatively easier to sit in front of a computer and gamble than to walk to the nearest betting shop
in the cold winter to make a bet. Gambling is however, just one of the addictions people are
vulnerable to online. Mitchell (2000) uses the term ‘Internet addiction’ to indicate the spectrum
of additions that one is susceptible to on the Internet. He states that although there is some
disagreement about whether Internet addiction is a real diagnosis, compulsive Internet use has
psychological dangers, and reports such behaviour can result in the users having withdrawal
symptoms, depression, social phobia, impulse control disorder, attention deficit disorder, etc.

In 2000, the number of worldwide email mailboxes was put at 505 million, and this was expected
to increase to 1.2 billion in 2005 (Interactive Data Corporation, 2001). Schofield (2001) points
out that more than 100 million people use instant messaging (IM) programs on the net, and a
growing number among them also use it to transfer files. This number is obviously growing, but
this example shows that online communication is becoming a much widely used method of
communication. Online communication such as email and instant messaging does not come
without problems. Hindocha (2003) states that instant messengers can transfer viruses and other
malicious software as they provide the ability to transfer text as well as files. Viruses and
malicious software can be transferred to the recipient’s computer without the knowledge of the
user. This makes them very dangerous. As the use of online communications becomes more
widespread, it is seen as an opportunity for people to gain access to the files on a computer.
Hindocha (2003) gives the example of hackers using instant messaging to gain unauthorised
access to computers, bypassing desktop and perimeter firewall implementations. This is a real
concern for most users, especially as the instant messaging and email client software are ‘trusted’
software; for a home user, their personal information stored on the computer, such as internet
banking security details, identifying information that could be used in identity theft, etc. are the
risks. However, online communication software such as these are also often used in businesses
also, and in this case, extensive records of financial information are vulnerable. Hindocha (2003)
goes on to say about instant messaging systems, “finding victims doesn’t require scanning
unknown IP addresses, but rather simply selecting from an updated directory of buddy lists.”
This throws up serious concerns.

Electronic commerce faces the major threats of theft and fraud. Online theft commonly occurs in
the form of identity theft, and less commonly, outright theft, for example by unauthorised access
to bank accounts. Camp (2000) points out that while it may seem a big leap to exchange a bill of
paper money for machine readable data streams, the value bound to the paper abstraction of
wealth is simply a reflection of trust in the method of abstraction that is widely shared and built
over centuries. Money on the Internet is simply a different abstraction of wealth, and has similar
issues with trust and risk as traditional money, together with the additional dangers posed by the
virtual nature of the environment. Because all communication on the Internet is vulnerable to
unauthorised access, this means that it is relatively easy to commit fraud. Where legislation is not
a deterrent, technology is almost none. Credit card fraud and theft, electronic banking theft, etc.
are some of the more common crimes committed online involving money.

What Makes The Internet Safer Than The Physical World?

Perhaps the only upper hand the virtual world has is that its inhabitants are immune to the
immediate threat of physical violence; one cannot be randomly mugged online. However,
vulnerable people are still susceptible to physical violence and harm, perhaps more to self-harm;
there are many websites that promote anorexia, suicide and self-harm, and this can leave a big
impact on impressionable minds.

The main safeguards on the Internet are policing with the accompanying legislation, and
technology itself. There are organisations in place to deal with the abusive websites and forums,
appropriate legislation to prevent child pornography, paedophilia, theft, fraud and a variety of
other online crime. There is also a vast array of technology that can help keep adults and children
safe online, from parental control software that can restrict the websites viewed by children, to
anti-virus and cryptography software and firewalls that help prevent hacking and viruses and
keep data safe.

Conclusion
Staying safe online

It is commonly accepted that the Internet provides us with opportunities that have been hitherto
unavailable. Many sing the praises of this so-called information superhighway; however, it is
prudent not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the promising opportunities. People
should be made aware of the dangers lurking in the Internet, and be given the education and
means to take steps to stay safe online. Just as children are taught not to speak to strangers in the
real world, they should be taught not to speak to strangers online as well. Education in schools
should include education about how to stay safe online; just as children are taught that eating
fruit and vegetables are healthy, they should also be taught that excessive online activities can
lead to addiction, with various negative consequences. This is because the virtual world is not
very different from the physical world in terms of people waiting to take advantage of the weak
and vulnerable, and also with respect to dangers such as addiction.

The future of the virtual world

In many ways, the virtual world is a reflection of the real world. After all, the people who inhabit
the real world are the same people that also inhabit the virtual world. It follows therefore, that
what people do and want to do in the real world, they would try to do in the virtual world too.
Where the physical constraints of the virtual world restrict them, they would try to find ways to
get around it. The rapid development of technology also gives rise to new means by which
people can do things, beneficial or harmful. The development of virtual reality may mean that
one day, people in the virtual world may not be immune to immediate physical harm either.
However, the technology by itself is neither good nor bad; it is the way the technology is put to
use that creates positive and negative consequences for human beings. In the end, it can be said
that virtual world is perhaps just as dangerous as the physical world.

References
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Carnell, L. (2007) Pupils Internet Safety Online. Bullying Online [online]. Available
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Griffiths, M.D. (2002) The Social Impact of Internet Gambling Social Science Computer
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Griffiths, M. (1998) Does Internet and computer “addiction” exist? Some case study
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UKEssays. (November 2018). Is the Internet as Dangerous as the Physical World?. Retrieved
from https://www.ukessays.com/essays/technology/dangers-internet-essay-9298.php?vref=1