Thank you, Berkman Center, for sponsoring the task force that has examined the sexual-predator allegations associated with social networks!

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society at Harvard University is about to release a report that — according to The New York Times, which reviewed an early release — lifts the patina of pederasty that has long plagued social networks. While acknowledging the reality of isolated incidents, the report redirects the focus to the many positive aspects to social networks, and points out the adverse effects of child-child bullying both on and off the Net, according to The Times article.

Commenting on a second-hand account always carries a risk, but I’ll take a leap and suggest that this finding sounds appropriate. Of course the awful incidents of pederasty deserve serious attention and notice — and we should urge social-networking services to perform appropriate monitoring for such illegal activities. But unfortunately some sensationalized media reports have led to misperceptions, suggesting that social-networking services are mainly breeding grounds for such activities.

Millions of young users see the communication opportunities of services like Facebook, and many parents and college leaders have provided guidance and helpful hints about how to manage privacy in the new online realms. Today’s students are learning how to develop a sense of self and to understand the relationship between the virtual and physical worlds, especially in light of physical-safety risks.

Social networks are here to stay; in fact, they are no longer even “hot.” They have become an integral part of adolescent development. One undergraduate told me last year that during rush at his fraternity, a brother was stationed at the door. When a pledge entered, the fraternity member would asked him for his name and immediately check the student’s Facebook profile. If the rush did not have one, it was a mark of suspicion; if he had one but it was completely open, that state was equally suspicious. The best posture was having a page but carefully using the privacy setting to keep full disclosure limited to a selected group.

So the issues for young people and social networks are nuanced. My owns sons (middle- and high-school age) report that MySpace is for when you want to sell yourself to the world, Facebook is for use at college, and Linked In is to show your employer — and this from a 12 year old!

Social-networking services reach well beyond the early media depictions, and many people know that the question is not whether Facebook and MySpace are good or evil. Millions of adults also enjoy their use, especially at colleges. Alumni organizations, for instance, have found them to be fantastic tools for posting pictures of new spouses, babies, and career improvements, for connecting old friends, and for disseminating information about reunions.

The question of whether social networks would have a place in higher education has long been answered with a resounding Yes. The question that remains is how we might find them useful in teaching and learning, as well as in purely social contexts. And that question strikes a chord with a larger quandary about outsourcing in general: Should it be homegrown or come out of a box? —Tracy Mitrano

Tracy Mitrano, our January guest blogger, is director of information-technology policy in Cornell University’s Office of Information Technologies, where she also directs the computer policy and law program.

Categories: Social-Networking, Legal-Troubles