5 Things You Need to Know About Internet Abuse

World Wide Web: not just a term, is in fact the lifeline of most of us. We are surrounded by the internet. We can rely on it for almost everything, whether it's work, school or other projects, as well as leisure time.

Who would dare to imagine writing or completing academic papers or work-related projects today without the help of Internet technologies?

But do we ever think about the malevolence it brings us alongside the benefits? It can be quite damaging to us. Read on to find out more about the evil side of our best friend, the Internet.

1. Recognize the risk of fake advertising

The Internet is the easiest way to reach people. Some people use this to fulfill their own evil intentions. You may be looking for online jobs that allow you to work from home and make money. You stumble upon an advertisement that seems too good. You just can't say 'no' to this great ad.

You contact the advertiser without knowing that you are falling into a trap. The advertiser asks for your bank account details and if you are naive, you give them all the details in the hope of getting an upfront payment. The danger of searching for such offers online is that they are fake and published by cybercriminals.

2. A prankster's paradise

Recently, the largest e-commerce company in India decided to stop delivering consignments worth more than ten thousand rupees to consumers in Uttar Pradesh due to some cases of expensive cash-on-delivery products being ordered and then rejected. Such cases cause damage to the company as well as cause huge losses to the sellers associated with the company.

It's really easy to pull pranks like this without getting caught. All you have to do is go to an internet cafe, visit the website, order an expensive product at your neighbor's address (so that he can see the look on his face when the order is delivered) and then just leave the cafe.

3. Recognize the impact of virtual events

Parents may question whether what children are viewing online is developmentally appropriate. By exposing children to the material parents deem appropriate, they can prepare for the next stage of their internet development. Just as an eight-year-old might be able to go to the corner store, he might be able to use the Internet to research homework or watch cartoons.

However, we would not expect this child to travel 100 kilometers by train alone, where he may meet many people and be faced with complex tasks. Therefore, we should not expect it to cope with social media, where it encounters virtual events that can have similar negative effects.

4. Inappropriate workplace behavior is due to internet use

In the past, Xerox Corp., The New York Times and First Union Bank in the US have announced the firing of employees for internet abuse. These layoffs and similar layoffs at brokerage firms were triggered by inappropriate workplace behavior and declining work productivity resulting from Internet use.

Some employees simply spent too much time on the Internet, others sent emails with offensive content to other employees. Others had engaged in Internet surfing of pornographic or gambling sites during work hours or had engaged in personal business on the Internet. Some even emailed sexual materials to other employees.

Almost all jobs require some level of internet use to complete tasks. Research projects, reports and statistical analyzes require valid references and reliable sources of current information. Interactions with government agencies as well as the convenience of making purchases or ordering supplies online make business use of the Internet an important part of the workday.

However, unrestricted use of the Internet by employees opens the door to wasted time and reduces productivity. And that means loss of profit for the business. Employers can best protect their company from Internet abuse by employees at work by establishing clear policies regarding use of the company's computer system, including access to the Internet.

5. Abuse can happen anywhere

In child and adolescent psychiatry we often work with vulnerable young people for whom exposure to harmful internet content can understandably have a very destructive effect. Experts recommend considering the impact of social media on all children. For example, when considering relentless bullying (something that historically happened mostly at school), keep in mind that it now happens anywhere there can be a cell phone.

In fact, all sorts of content is available to children all day, every day, and some can cause a certain level of constant anxiety. We should also consider that children who are already exposed to abuse may become even more hurt online.

Ending

There is much more that we should know about internet abuse. Caution is necessary so that we can avoid the consequences of abuse.

Guest Author: Steffen Ebersbacher
Steffen Ebersbacher is a professional editor and an experienced content manager at Preply .

Article image: Shutterstock / By Dmytro Zinkevych