ESSAY

EXAMINING THE DUAL IMPACT OF CYBERSECURITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA

ENGAGEMENTS

In the digital era, where social media platforms have become highly significant tools of everyday
life, cyber security comes about as a critical concern influencing both individual experiences and
societal interactions. The relation between cybersecurity and social media presents a
contradictory speculation where the implications can cause a greater effect, far beyond mere
technical vulnerabilities. Therefore, the dual effect of cybersecurity on social media participation
involves a complicated relationship between technological protections and socio-cultural
practices, influencing the way people engage, converse, and understand the digital world.

According to Edosomwan et.al (2011:80-83), the origins of social media can be traced back to
the late 1900s, marked by the rise of online communities, bulletin boards, and instant messaging
services. However, the real revolution in social media came with the introduction of Web 2.0.
This new web development emphasized user-generated content, interactivity, and collaboration,
enabling individuals to effortlessly create, share, and interact with digital content. The
emergence of platforms such as Facebook in 2004, YouTube in 2005, and Twitter in 2006
ushered in a new age of social interaction.

For the purpose of this writing, cyber security is going to be used to refer to “the organization
and collection of resources, processes, and structures used to protect cyberspace and cyberspace-
enabled systems from occurrences that misalign de jure from de facto property rights.” as
defined by Craigen et.al (2014:13). Kaplan and Haenlein (2010: 61) defines social media as “a
group of Internet-based applications that build on the ideological and technological foundations
of Web 2.0, and that allow the creation and exchange of User Generated Content.”

Cyber security measures act as defensive barriers, protecting against a variety of threats such as
data breaches and identity theft, thus instilling a sense of trust and safety among users. However,
the pervasive nature of cyber threats instills a level of fear and caution, which could potentially
restrict users’ freedom and authenticity in their interactions on social media platforms Sadik et.al
(2020:10-11). This contradiction highlights the complex interrelation between cyber security and
social media engagement, where the pursuit of online security needs to be carefully balanced
with the need for connection and self-expression.

The essay is going to focus on discussing how cyber security principles intersect with social
media usage. We examine both individual and organizational perspectives, with regards to the
positive and negative impact of cyber security on shielding users from cyber risks as well as
organizations. And also provide ways on how to mitigate these cyber vulnerabilities while
maximizing social media benefits.

Cybersecurity entails different components which include data security, network security, mobile
security and identity security. Data security encompasses the strategies and protocols put in place
to protect digital information from unauthorized access, for instance through data encryption
Bertino (2016:125). Network security basically ensures the safety of data transmitted across
networks, for instance by qualifying firewalls, Marin (2016:68). Mobile security deals with
shielding mobile gadgets and networks from third party attacks e.g. Installing antivirus software
Paul and Aithol (2019:113). Identity security comprises of measures taken to ensure and protect
the identity of humans and machines as well as organizations Gandy Jr (2000:1091-1092). All of
these are with the main aim of ensuring confidentiality, integrity and availability of sensitive user
data.

In the process of ensuring security of social media, cybersecurity undergoes challenges.

According to Humayun (2020:3173), malware is one of the main problems, as it keeps changing
and finding new ways to attack our computer systems. Then there are phishing, which tricks
people into giving away their personal information by pretending to be someone they trust.
Denial of Service (DoS)attacks are another issue;they overwhelm websites or networks with too
much traffic hence making them crash. Moreover, we deal with following strict rules about
privacy and security. To tackle these challenges effectively, we need to use a mix of new
technology, teach people how to stay safe and be proactive about managing risks.

Social media engagement involves various interaction metrics such as liking, sharing of posts,
comment amongst other interactions, but in so doing there are risks associated with such. For
instance, according to Ghani et al (2016:19), social media platforms have revolutionized
communication, enabling people to connect, share, and express themselves globally. However,
this convenience comes with inherent risks that can significantly impact cyber security. Users
often share personal information, including location, interests, and relationships, without fully
understanding the consequences. Cybercriminals exploit this openness to gather data for targeted
attacks, such as phishing or identity theft. Additionally, oversharing can lead to unintentional
information leakage. Even innocuous details can be pieced together to create a comprehensive
profile, which attackers use to craft convincing social engineering attacks. Furthermore,
inappropriate posts, offensive comments, or controversial opinions can harm an individual’s
reputation. Employers, colleagues, and potential clients often check social media profiles, and a
tarnished online image can have real-world consequence

As such the interaction between cybersecurity and social media engagements has resulted in the
stemming of incidents. To that end, Ghani et al (2016: 21) shows several incidents highlighting
the critical nature of cybersecurity in social media engagement. Celebrity account hacks
demonstrate how high-profile individuals, including celebrities and politicians, have had their
social media accounts compromised. Attackers post misleading content, damaging reputations,
and spreading misinformation. Data breaches via social engineering reveal how cybercriminals
manipulate users into revealing sensitive information. Spear-phishing emails, disguised as
legitimate messages, trick victims into sharing login credentials, granting attackers access to
personal data or corporate networks. Additionally, location-based risks arise from geotagging
features that reveal users’ physical locations. Criminals exploit this information for burglary,
stalking, or targeted attacks, emphasizing the need for cautious sharing. In conclusion, social
media engagement is a double-edged sword. While it fosters connectivity, users must remain
vigilant by implementing strong privacy settings, avoiding oversharing, and recognizing
potential threats to maintain cybersecurity in the digital age.

With that being said, it can be concluded that cybersecurity has both a positive and negative
impact on social media engagements, this can be seen in both individuals and organizations.
Sheth et.al (2021:249) mentions that cybersecurity can be beneficial to individual’s social media
interactions as it aids in protecting personal data. With reference to Sheth et.al (2021:248)
research paper, cybersecurity systems have qualified certain measures to protect user data, such
as two or multifactor verification which involves use of knowledge that is only known by users
e.g. one’s favorite football star, that is to allow for access to one’s data. It also implements use of
biometric data such fingerprints, face recognition, voice detection and retinal scans, which are
factors that are individualized and cannot be copied by other users Natgunanathan et.al
(2016:249). All these efforts help prevent invasion of personal data by cybercriminals.

In addition, cybersecurity helps individuals with privacy enhancement through data

anonymization, that is concealing the identity of a user by keeping their general data hidden from
the other users Ren et.al (2021:2). According to, Ren et.al (2021;2) there are different techniques
to this, such as data masking. Gope and Sikdar (2019:1154) explains the data masking involves
changing the users' profile to conceal one's data that could be name, address and photo. Another
technique is pseudonymization, Ren et.al (2021:2) refers to it as “replace private identifier with
fake identifier or pseudonyms to hide key identifiable information, which preserves statistical
accuracy and data integrity” this feature is available in Google where users can turn on ignito
mode and go online privately. This protects users from spies and hackers which could be
monitoring their online activities for exploitation or even scamming.

On the contrary, cybersecurity can have negative implications on individual's social media
engagements. Secuity measures limit user experience and satisfaction through fire walls which
control and monitor incoming and outgoing traffic from a network. Firewall can deny users
access to legitimate webpages just because it has flagged them as false or scam. They block
VPN’s (virtual private network) and proxies which deny user a chance to bypass certain
restriction and may disturb their internet connectivity. These restrict access to applications which
are preferred by the users by blocking file sharing, which can bring upon annoyance and
irritation. Sheth et.al (2021:249).

Another hindrance in cybersecurity on social media interactions of individuals is increasing

ransomware attacks. Cybercriminals hold the victim's data or device hostage threatning to
destroy it or something worse unless they pay a certain amount of money Mohurie and Patil
(2017:1938). These cybercriminals threaten to infect the user’s data or device with viruses or
even to leak the data to the public. Sheth et.al (2021:249) mentions that “Cybersecurity
Speculations has chomped past cybercrime informations and forecasts that a commercial will fall
casualty to a ransomware bout every 11 seconds in 2021. That’s depressed from each 14 seconds
in 2019. The over-all cost of ransomware will go beyond $20 billion worldwide”. This shows
that ransomware attacks are increasing at a fast rate, making users more vulnerable to
cybercriminals.

Organizations realize the same effect of cybersecurity on social media engagements. They
benefit from cybersecurity in many ways. According to Sheth et.al (2021:249), “Cyber security
offers enhanced Internet security, advances cyber flexibility, speeds up system data, and
information defence for industries. It guards individual private data, it protects nets and capitals
and challenges computer hackers”. During an organization's social media interactions
cybersecurity ensure security by use of strong passwords and updating software regularly with
reduces cyber-attacks because they act as reinforcement measures. It aids in data optimisation by
reviewing information systems regularly and updating them.

Sheth et.al (2021:249) continues to state that cybersecurity aids in protection of data by building
integrity in information sharing by Implementing Operator Contact Controls, maintaining
appropriate backups, and having version supervisory in place are crucial for ensuring data
security and privacy. Operator Contact Controls are mechanisms that allow an operator to control
the operation of motor-operated equipment such as switches, circuit breakers, and contactors
Weiss.J (2020:112-113). They are highly customizable and provide reliable and precise control
for a variety of applications. Backups are essential for data protection, with experts
recommending the 3-2-1 rule for backup: three copies of your data, two local (on different
devices), and one off-site. This involves selecting appropriate backup methods, choosing storage
mediums, and establishing regular backup schedules to keep data updated Corbett et.al (1999:
3 ). Version supervisory refers to the ability to monitor and control a number of processes on
UNIX-like operating systems. It allows users to control processes related to a project or a
customer and provides a local or remote command line and web interface. These measures
prevent unauthorized access, enable quick recovery in case of data loss, and allow tracking of
changes made to the system, making them essential components of a robust cybersecurity
strategy Weiss.J (2020:114-115).

Although cybersecurity systems benefit organizations they can also negatively impact them.
Increasing number cloud breaches, Sheth et.al (2021:249) outlines that cybersecurity poses a risk
of cloud breaches where company infromation storedon the cloud is leaked or distorted which
can put the company status in jeopardy.This puts a company of losing customers and even
employee data causing a lot of disturbances and inconveniences resulting in increased costs in
trying to maintain the cloud configuration.

In addition, Sheth et.al (2021:250) stipulates tha the rise in threats targeting user devices is a
significant concern. Employees working from home often use systems that are not updated,
managed, or secured by the company’s IT department. This situation expands the company’s
vulnerability, providing hackers with an opportunity to infiltrate the system, bypassing perimeter
security. Essential business data is being stored on these systems, which increases the risk of a
data breach.