Evaluation of the Role of Internet Uses among Youth and its Impact on Spread the Cyber Crimes in the community, Case of Jordan community.
Abstract
The Internet is seen as a blessing for mankind because it has made everyone, and everything, close with each other. People and societies are linked with each other. There are a number of possibilities emerging from the internet and associated systems and networks. Developing countries have also embraced it but it is observed that the young population of developing countries is the first segment who starts using the internet. Therefore, the case of youth of Jordan has been taken in this study as role of internet on them has been explained. Moreover, the impact on the spread of crimes has also been noted. There are a number of crimes like drug abuse, harassment, information and theft, stalking, child abuse, pornography, and others which can be committed through internet use. These cyber-crimes are committed in the community, and they affect people directly. It is however, noted that there is an increasingly narrowing gap between traditional forms of crimes and virtual forms of crimes. Both have the same motive to hurt and negatively affect a person. This attack may be at a personal level, or it may be based on the possession of a person. Therefore, internet-based crimes or cybercrimes should be given importance because it is negative use of internet. If the advantages of the internet can be exploited, then negative and anti-social elements can also exploit these disadvantages of the internet as well. For this purpose, youth should be taken into consideration seriously because youth may tend to use internet negatively if there is not appropriate supervision. However, it is recommended that we give them proper guidance and help so that they cannot misuse the internet and they can take benefits of internet conveniently.
Key Words: Internet, Youth, Jordan, Cyber Crimes, Community, Advantages, Disadvantages, Traditional, Virtual
Introduction
Earlier when the internet was non-existent, the geographic boundaries limited societies, and they used traditional mail as a means of communication. The use of the internet has advanced the way we communicate and know each other across different geographical regions. New ways of communication were of interaction like online forums, social networks, and blogs were introduced. There was the provision of social mobility that surpassed the space and time limitations.
Mostly the youths use the internet at the maximum level through social networks like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and Gmail. These networking sites have been helpful in the interaction among families, friends, and relatives. Studies conducted show the internet, specifically social networks, are essential commercial applications used by young adults and teenagers. The reason for this being that the regulations and rules of parents have no important authority on the use of such sites by the child. Another research shows that internet users spend excessive time on Facebook. Especially students have the biggest number of SNSs users. They comprise thirty-seven percent of the whole population. In the Middle East, it has been said that there is a different utilization of the internet. In Jordan, the people use internet use to create awareness on environmental issues, utilization of social sites to spread a peace culture is used in Lebanese while the Egyptians show news of police brutality (Abu-Shanab, 2013).
Although the use of the internet has its benefits socially, there are also disadvantages attached to it. For example, Facebook is the most restricted site by business network firewalls. The reason is that employees spend most of their work time on this website resulting in poor working and service delivery. Another thing is that the internet can be used as a tool for terrorism via social networks. The Internet provides a platform to promote, exchange and post messages and news that are connected to anti-peace ideas. The Youths are helpless to this kind of data as they cannot realize such information reliability. The social network utilization by the Youths and their effects on their behavior raise a lot of questions (Abu-Shanab, 2013).
This essay will concentrate on the role of the internet on the Jordan Youths and its effects on the spread of cyber-crimes in the community. Regarding cybercrime, it stands for a great challenge towards the systems of criminal justice in the whole world inclusive of Jordan. There is a huge increase in the rate of cyber-crimes in Jordan. Statistics by the Jordan public security show that more than eleven thousand, hundred and three cyber-crimes were committed up to the end of November 2011. The cyber-crimes count from the year 2012 was 47 cases where seventeen cases included e-defamation and impersonation, two cases where financial frauds, twelve case e-threatens while sixteen were theft cases involving e-mails. In the year 2011, the cyber-crime classification was four hundred and twenty-seven cases involving e-defamations and impersonation, twenty-one were e-financial fraud issues, Defamation, and threat where 350 cases, three electronic cases, 2 internet child abuse cases and forty email theft cases (Faqir,2013).
The cyber-crime threat has impacted greatly on all life levels; the communities’ security is breached by focusing on both organizations and individuals via the utilization of advanced techniques and counter technology tools. Signature-based malware, antivirus and perimeter intrusion detection tools used are not adequate to deal with these crimes. The problem that arises in the traditional criminal laws of Jordan in combating cyber-crimes is that the laws created with the objective of dealing with conventional crimes were designed way before the existence of digital era (Faqir,2013).
The role of internet uses on Youth
Since the emergence of the internet, people especially the Youth have embraced the use of the internet for various purposes. The internet is comprised of online forums, social networks, and blogs. The youth use them as a medium of communication. Earlier on the internet people relied on traditional mailing systems for the conveyance of information to their colleagues in the far away geographical regions. Communication was considered slow, and not much was exchanged from far distances. Unlike today where communication to faraway places is in an instant. People from different places interact with each other without even meeting physically (Selfhout,2009) Social sites such as Facebook, Gmail, YouTube, and Twitter are the commonly used platform for socialization and conveyance of messages and information.
In Jordan, it has been found that most of the internet users are students. The students form part of the youths in Jordan. In Jordan, research carried out show that thirty-seven percent of the SNS users in Jordan are students. The most common topic found to be exchanged among Jordan users is the awareness of environmental issues (Abu-Shanab, 2013). The students have been found to raise their self-esteem as a result of internet use although there have been cases of a negative effect on their self-esteem (Niemz,2005).
Research conducted shows that the main purpose for Youths using social networks is: for social support, search for friends and entertainment. This research targeted the reason for usage of social sites. A study by Morgan, Elison, and Snelson focused on youth utilization of social sites like Facebook, Myspace, and YouTube to post videos or images of substance utilization. Specifically, they researched on consumption of marijuana and alcohol. It showed that there was a positive view of posts concerning alcohol and posts on marijuana were viewed negatively.
There was also discussion of the risks and benefits of the utilization of online and internet tools that are free for utilization by the librarians and libraries. They can be joined with library instructions for usage in training on information literacy (Abu-Shanab, 2013).
The Internet can be used by terrorists to target the youths. Research by the United Nations Office on crime and Drugs showed the various ways that the internet is used to spread terrorist attacks. They identified six categories of means used to spread terrorism via the internet. One of the methods terrorists uses propaganda. They target youths who are vulnerable to the spread of propaganda. This is the provision of ideologies, justifications, and explanations. Social sites like Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter may be used as mediums in the spread of propaganda. This information can be sent to supporters of the organization, and can also be to opponents, to indirect or direct terrorism victims. The internet may also be used to finance terrorism. There are four categories into which internet funding of terrorism is classified. They include e-commerce, direct solicitation, online payment tools exploitation and use of charitable organizations. The use of websites, group emails, and chat groups is a direct solicitation. Use of dedicated websites to offer online payments makes it simple to transfer funds between parties (Ki-moon,2012) electronically.
The Internet can also be used by terrorists as a training ground. Online video clips, audio, and manuals are used as platforms for the spread of practical guides. The Internet can also play a role in becoming a planning ground for terrorism. There is involvement of remote communication between many parties — the Internet assists in the facilitation of communication (Ki-moon, 2012).
Internet usage has also been linked to pornography view. It has been realized that a large percentage of youths today have more access to pornographic contents which are found online in large amounts. A study carried out on the exposure of youths to pornography shows that youths are exposed even under the age of 18. The youths in the experiment were exposed greatly to internet pornography in their teenage years (Gross,2004). Many were exposed as a result of searching individually while others were involuntarily exposed. The reasons for exposure were different. Some were looking for sexual stimulation while others wanted information. The effects of this exposure to pornography were also found. On the part of the boys, there were high levels of excitement sexually while the girls felt embarrassed and disgust and vice versa (Sabina, 2008). In general, exposure to pornography was connected to internet usage. Links are even found on social network sites leading to pornography sites.
Apart from pornography, the internet can cause non-productivity among youth. Youths of today are mostly addicted to online gaming which in the long run causes them to be lazy and ineffective. One may utilize most of his/her day playing games online and forget to perform any assigned chores or even engage in academic learning (Van Rooij, 2010). Research has been done to check the youth addiction to the internet and its effects (Widyanto, 2004).
The internet can also be used as a medium for the spread of drug abuse. Through the use of social network sites, a youth may be exposed to drug abuse due to peer influence. Drug dealers may also utilize the internet as a way to sell their drugs to vulnerable youths without detection by the law (Vardakou, 2011).
Internet usage among the youth can also act as a learning platform for academic wise. Youths can utilize the internet to carry out academic research. Sites like Google Scholar can be used by students to find articles that aid in their course work/classroom learning. Most of the schoolwork can be submitted or assigned through the internet. Students can learn from their homes or faraway places without physically being present. The term used to refer to this kind of learning is online learning. The Internet has played a big role in the academic life of youths. Studying has been made easier and less costly. Apart from classroom learning, youths can also learn from other youths’ experiences in other countries/regions. By using YouTube and blog sites, people can learn and adopt positive ideas and experiences of other people (Guan, 2009).
Impacts of the internet on the spread of cyber-crime
About cyber-crime, the internet can be a medium for the spread of cyber-crime related messages and information. As discussed earlier, there is a huge increase in the rate of cyber-crimes in Jordan. Statistics by the Jordan public security show that more than eleven thousand, hundred and three cyber-crimes were committed up to the end of November 2011. The cyber-crimes count from the year 2012 was 47 cases where seventeen cases included e-defamation and impersonation, two cases where financial frauds, twelve case e-threatens while sixteen were theft cases involving e-mails. In the year 2011, the cyber-crime classification was four hundred and twenty-seven cases involving e-defamations and impersonation, twenty-one were e-financial fraud issues, Defamation, and threat where 350 cases, three electronic cases, 2 internet child abuse cases and forty email theft cases.
The cyber-crime threat has impacted greatly on all life levels; the communities’ security is breached by focusing on both organizations and individuals via the utilization of advanced techniques and counter technology tools. Tools used such as signature-based malware, antivirus, and perimeter intrusion detection are not adequate to deal with these crimes. The problem that arises in the traditional criminal laws of Jordan in combating cyber-crimes is that the laws created with the objective of dealing with conventional crimes were designed way before the existence of digital era (Faqir,2013).
The internet is said to be a learning platform under the role of the internet among the youth. The internet can be used by hackers to offer hacking tips to other users. Through the internet, people can acquire illegal hacking knowledge which they can later use to attack organizations or individuals. They may do this for experimentation purposes or even for their selfish gains. Looking at the statistics by the Jordan public security, it shows the cases of cyber-crime are rising, and use of the internet as a learning platform may be one of the fueling factors (Wall, 2010).
There have also been security concerns regarding the electronic payment in Jordan. Lot cases of cyber-attacks on the banks and their payment systems have been on the rise. The internet has been blamed for playing a huge part in enabling this (Atwah Al-ma’aitah, 2013)
There are also positive effects of the internet towards the spread of cyber-crime. Through the internet, people/organizations can learn ways to protect themselves against cyber-attacks. Cyber-crime experts have created blogs where they post various methods of protection against online hackers. They also provide tools that are best applicable to online attackers. As discussed earlier, it was found that some tools used in the detection of intrusions/cyber-attacks are ineffective (Yar, 2013). By use of the internet, an organization or individual can research on the advanced technologies used to cope with newly used cyber-attacks. In Jordan, students have benefited from the internet through the creation of awareness of cyber-attacks. Students mostly experience spamming emails. A student can create this awareness among themselves through social media. They can also retrieve information from the experts on the internet. Therefore, in a way, we can say that the internet despite being a tool for enabling cyber-attacks, it can be used to fight cyber-crime as well (Manasrah, 2015).
Arab (2002) has conducted a timely study on the offenses and crimes in the technology field, and he included offences and crimes related to electronic, cyber, computer related, internet, and cyberspace which are triggered due to technology. Therefore, these crimes are called high technology offenses or crimes. He has termed these cybercrimes or internet-based crimes as a new phenomenon but a serious one. It is serious because of the huge loss associated with it. Most users of the technology are young, and they are easily attacked by this effect of cybercrimes.
Hawkins (2001) has found that crimes committed through internet related and cyberspace is much different and distinguished from crimes committed in the traditional area. It also shows the seriousness of internet related or cyber crimes because, in this manner, there are different mechanisms needed to combat cyber crimes. Moreover, it is complex as well because physical space of criminal law and cyberspace both are required and involved in cyber crimes because after committing the cybercrime, law enforcement agencies have to deal with the crime on the physical ground.
Finklea (2012) has noted some prominent dissimilarity between cyber crimes and physical crimes. The study has vital significance because it helps to highlight the difference between cybercrimes and traditional crimes. It is helpful to understand the cyber nature of crimes and the convenience associated with committing these crimes. Youth may not be aware of these crimes at first place, and when a youth commits the crime, then it gets the assistance of this convenience.
Kumar and Chowbe (2012) have also focused on dissimilarities between crimes and offenses made on the virtual world and the physical world. In the cyber crimes, the object being targeted is usually data and information, and it is stolen or used to hurt another person. On the other hand, the traditional scene of crime targets a person or property. The venue of cyber crimes is the place as cyber crimes take place on a large and well spread global space where crime can be committed in any way. However, traditional crimes take place in usually limited places. Moreover, anonymity is enjoyed by cybercrimes although; the use of IP address and web address has failed this tendency to be anonymous. Youth aims to get the advantage of this benefit of anonymity but does not realize that they may be traced and caught in case of committing the crime.
Jaishankar (2007) has included and noted a very important form of sexual crime which is also observed among youth using the internet. It is usually said that it is not possible to affect a person directly through the internet and cyber world, but by approaching a person, this indirect aspect may be removed altogether. The researcher has noted and included the impact of cyberstalking and harassment over the internet through which various forms are used for intimidation. Different kinds of harassment are involved including sexual, racial, and religious harassment. These incidents of harassment and stalking have a direct and negative impact on a person while most of the cases are reported against youth as it is observed.
McMullan & Rege (2007) have identified a similarity between online crime and physical world crime that in terms of outcomes, both are the same. The motive of physical world crime is to hurt a person by depriving him of some property or possession. The motive of cybercrime is also to deprive him of some valuable property and possession. However, with time, the nature of these crimes would come on the surface is a more important and effective manner and the result, youth may tend to attract towards these crimes. Thus, the internet and the cyber world have opened new ways to affect people’s lives and the spread of crime is one of the possibilities which negatively affect society and the community.
Conclusion
The paper concludes that there are some aspects of the internet and cyberspace as it has widened and made vast the scope of activities and their impact. The Internet and technology have given rise to a blend of many possibilities and impacts through which every segment of society is being affected. Youth is the most important segment in society because they are observed to be associated with internet related technologies and objects.
Considering the above findings, one can conclude that the internet has both negative and positive effects on Jordan youths. The Youths can positively gain from the internet or negatively be influenced by the internet. The Internet can also act as a medium for the spread of cyber-crimes and also be a way for the anti-cyber-crimes campaign. Therefore, the internet has both negative and positive impacts on the spread of cyber-crime in the Jordan community.
So far as these findings are concerned, it is found that the internet is a facilitator, and it can be used for facilitating the activities carried out on the internet. It is up to the user of the internet to use it for their purpose. For example, this paper has highlighted the spread of crime through the internet, and it has also shed light on the youth involvement in it. There are some ways through which crimes can be committed, and the dependence on people’s lives on the internet has made it very easy to affect everyone’s life through the internet. Attacking one’s life and property can be possible through Internet-based technology while it is also possible that youth may use the internet for harassment. It is also an emerging way of affecting others using the internet. However, at the same time, the internet and technologies can also be used to combat and eradicate these crimes as well. It can be used for spreading peace and awareness.
Thus, it is recommended using the internet and technology for the benefit and advantages of the community of Jordan. Otherwise, it cannot add value to the lives of others. This is the way through which the internet and technology can be used, and it should be made part of the education of youth to use the internet and technology sensibly.
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