Introduction

The Internet provides a good platform that provides different opportunities to the modern society. Such social media tools, as Facebook, Instant messaging, and Twitter among others, are very helpful in the communication channels. Technology has, therefore, advanced over the last ten years, which has also made the world a global village. Billions of people in the world depend on technology and the Internet; people depend on social media to share information and make the necessary connections. The Internet can also be used for marketing different products and services, offered by any organization, to ensure an increase in sales. Most institutions greatly depend on the Internet to ensure their customers are updated on any new products. Regarding social psychology, it is important to be worried about new technologies, as their effects might be both good and bad.

Positive Effects

There are good effects of new technology, which have positively changed social interactions between people, and the way they interact with each other. Modern technology has, therefore, been embraced to ensure that people maximize and gain the benefits attached to technology advancement.

Education

Advancement of new technology has positively influenced the education programs of children at schools. Technology has, therefore, improved education and the learning process in high schools and universities. Since education is essential in any economy, students need proper education programs in order to help them advance in their studies (Chou & Lee, 2017). Many schools have adopted educational programs that can help in the learning process, such as podium-based computers, wireless, the Internet, Facebook, online forums, blogs, wikis, podcasts, and Twitter. Visual education is also becoming very popular in schools, as it helps students to understand the material better. Furthermore, students can depend on the technology to fully advance their studies through increased research opportunities through the Internet. Education is a social effect, as when students become educated, as a result interaction in the society will be improved.

Students can also learn a foreign language through the help of the Internet, where they can meet with tutors via online platform. Today, some online learning programs offer degree programs, and they are facilitated by new technology. Most universities have enabled people who do not have time to attend classes to learn through online courses.

Communication

In the modern world, the Internet has improved communication channels. Some services, such as Gmail, Skype, Facebook, YouTube, Instant messaging and Twitter, help to ease communication between friends and family members. From any part of the globe, different social media services can be used to communicate face-to-face. At the school level, it has become easier for children to interact with their parents. For example, Skype allows face-to-face communication between two people in different locations. New technology also allows to easily send pictures and emails that help to advance the communication channels.

Business

The Internet has also had a social impact on the lives of people, as it helps to boost business activities. E-commerce is facilitated through the use of the Internet, where the buyer and the seller transact online without having to meet physically. In fact, travel cost is, therefore, saved since there is no need of going where the goods or services are located.

Negatives Impact

We should be worried about the negative social effect of new technology on our lives. It is, therefore, imperative to ensure that Internet is used for beneficial purposes. The children should also be cautioned on the negative effects of the Internet. Most young people are adversely affected, which causes moral decay within the community due to negative effects of new technology.

Gaming and Social Development

New technology provides for social games, which act as a source of entertainment for young people. These video games have poor social skills, which affect the social lives of young people. When the youth are involved in playing violent video games, which are available on the Internet, it increases their aggression over time (Hudson, Roth, Madden, & Hudson, 2015). This has, therefore, caused many people to be violent when they find themselves unable to interact with other people in the society. The people involved in video games normally have poor social development in their lives.

The online video games are also very addictive to the young people, which results in time wasting. Precious time that can be used for other productive services may end up wasted, which, therefore, is very costly. The children, therefore, end up being obese due to lack of physical activities. Obesity, therefore, has a social impact on the lives of parents and children.

Online TV Streaming and Social Development

Exposure of online TV streaming can have negative social effects on the society and the people. Exposure to some television shows that contain sexual content may result in increased teenage pregnancies among girls. Moreover, most people tend to see strong programs and others with sexual matters and may like to imitate what they see on the television (Gainous, Wagner, & Gray, 2016). Therefore, social behaviors are greatly affected, resulting in the lack of proper morals in the community. Moreover, social cognition will also be affecting the social relationship between people, as well as their thinking capacity.

Pornography Is Rampant

Anybody can easily access the pornographic materials, which are all available from different Internet sources. The minds of the young people will, therefore, be captured through increased exposure to the Internet, both at home and at schools. It is, therefore, one of the biggest negative impacts on the Internet, which negatively affects the society. Many marriages have had social problems due to pornography addiction, making one partner feel insecure. It is the role of teachers and parents to ensure that Internet content is protected, so that children and youths cannot access some sites.

Loss of Human Touch

In the modern world, there is increased reliance on social media and other Internet platforms for communication. Social networking gives more importance and emphasis to virtual friends than the real ones. Therefore, people who mainly depend on the Internet for communication, have also forgotten how to interact with other people in the society. Therefore, there will be a social effect, where young people will lack proper communication skills to express themselves during interviews and other instances.

Cyberbullying

Most criminals around the world use the Internet and social media to advance their malicious intentions. Some unsuspected Internet users normally become affected by the criminal acts on the Internet. Many people are bullied on the Internet, being forced to do something that is not socially accepted. Some of the criminals even ask for naked pictures of female Internet users and threaten to kill them if they do not comply. Some are also forced to engage in a sexual intercourse without their own will (Slonje, Smith, & FriséN, 2013). Most of the victims of cyberbullying feel insulted and embarrassed due to the comments raised towards them. Some of the victims even end up committing suicide due to increased humiliations on the social media.

Cheating

The Internet can be used in a bad way by the students to ensure they can cheat in their exams. The Internet provides various sources of information that is readily available online. Students may end up cheating on the exams without their efforts, which end up in academic fraud and plagiarism. As a result, if cheating, students will not be educated in the right manner, hence lacking important skills learnt in school.

Conclusion

In the modern society, the Internet has been adopted, which has both positive and negative social effects in the society. Facebook, Instant Messaging, YouTube, and other social media, have helped to revolutionize the communication in the modern society. Communication is, therefore, boasted, where one can use Skype and other channels to communicate from any part in the world. Despite the positive effects, we should be worried about the negative effects of social media and Internet on the society.

The Internet has caused moral degradation in the society through increased exposure to pornographic materials. The Internet is also very addictive through online games and other sites that result to wastage of time and resources. Cyberbullying and loss of human touch also negatively affect the society due to increased exposure to the Internet. Therefore, regarding social psychology, different stakeholders, such as parents, teachers and the government, should ensure proper measures are in place to minimize the negative effect of the Internet. Most computers should have child locks and secret passwords, which limit access to sites with immoral images. Social media communication should also be monitored by the government to ensure cyberbullying is eliminated.