2005-2025: From BEBO to Snapchat- Different Social Media, Same Story

 The first few years of the 2000s was the era of the Blogs (free, user friendly & easy to set up websites). 2005 saw the sudden rise of what we then referred to as ‘online social media’ heralded by the arrival of ‘Bebo’, and the growing popularity of ‘MySpace’, ‘Orkut’ etc. 2007 witnessed the launch of the iPhone with its apps and touchscreen. Within a few years, especially when broadband became almost nationwide by 2011, the ‘smart phone’ became an indispensable part of our daily lives.  Whilst hand-held technology has brought so many transformational benefits, nevertheless the built-in addiction of many of its social apps has also made us as users become ‘slaves to the machine’ and victims of the most vile hate never imagined in previous times. 

From 2005, I myself readily embraced social media and connected online not just to friends from my everyday world, but to those I had not seen for decades as well as to people worldwide that I never met in the real world but who shared the same interests as me. It was so empowering!!

However I also very soon witnessed a scarily darkside of the Web, as I encountered (as did millions of others) the new phenomena of cyberbullying, aggressive misogynistic pornography, racism, hate and violence which through these popular social media sites entered my home, my workplace and the schools I taught in.

However no-one in 2005 and for years later was talking about these issues especially to children, teenagers and parents. So I sought the permission of the management of my scientific research institute (DERI) in what is now known as the University for Galway if I could-as well as upskilling and increasing awareness amongst the public of the power of the Web in order to help transform particularly our youth from being ‘digital users’ into ‘digital creators’- to talk to parents, teachers and youth about the negative aspects of the web and what precautions needed to be undertaken. This request was readily granted.

I was probably the first ‘expert’ in Ireland to raise these concerns.

In 2025 I am still providing, through my education and public engagement role at the Insight Research Ireland Centre for Data Analytics, advice and guidelines on Internet Safety to schools’ communities.

The social media providers and game sites may have changed over the last 20 years but the same issues of concern still exist. Though the Irish government has finally after a delay of decades implemented stronger more targetted legislation over the last few years, nevertheless at some levels the problems have got even worse. This is primarily because so many of the US-based Big Tech corporations are resisting legislation in Europe and elsewhere that aim to have social media/game sites provide better safeguards in order to protect users especially children and to eliminate the spread of lies. These businesses are putting profits and ideology before the welfare of ordinary people.

In my sessions I always adopt a holistic approach geared of course to the age and background of the audiences, be they first year children in primary school or parents of second level students. For parents this means appreciating the great positives but also the negatives of the Web, the realisation that addiction is built into social media/games, the need to set good example to our children in terms of our own usage, in having the ‘big chat’ with our children on the subject and thereafter in keeping the lines of communication open, in understanding the role of social media influencers, in appreciating the physical/mental health benefits of the Great Outdoors, and the importance of demanding appropriate legislation that is acted upon.

Whilst realising that putting in place meaningful age restrictions on the use of social media  age is not the be-all and end-all in keeping our young people safe online, it is most definitely an important part of the solution. So I am a big supporter of the Australian government’s recent banning of social media for under 16s. For it is helping to let pre-teens and early teens experience a childhood free from the hate, vitriol, misogyny and fake news that is more and more being encountered online as well as encouraging empathy and more meaningful real world relationships.

From late January I will be sending our partner schools practical guidelines on reporting online abuse/bullying and putting in place parental controls.

Finally I was thrilled that earlier this year I gave my first Internet Safety session to the teenage girls and teachers of Loreto convent secondary school at Rumbek in South Sudan. This was possibly one of the first such themed sessions ever to take place in sub-Saharan Africa.

Photo from the Galway City Tribune 2013.