Substance Abuse – Effects on Society
Posted by in Society on October 22, 2011
General Substance Abuse and Its Effects on Society
Substance abuse is one of the most prevalent issues that the current generation is forced to face. It has been around for centuries and has afflicted millions of people around the world. It is mainly a health concern but over the past decades, it has escalated into one of the worst social ills.
Drug and alcohol addiction does not only affect the individual himself but everyone around him. Ultimately, the society is largely affected by his predisposition for substance use even when he’s just one person. It is a social ill because practically every country in the world is compelled to come up with legislation, policies and other ideas geared at addressing the problem.
Most experts agree that addiction has a ripple effect. It brings discord not only into the home but to the society as well.
Effects on the family
Parents who abuse drugs or alcohol tend to neglect their children leaving them to their own devices. Because they are preoccupied with their addictions, they fail to provide the proper guidance that children need especially during their growing years. Teenagers who grow up in homes where a respected adult or parent uses alcohol or drugs have a higher tendency for developing the addiction later on mainly because the household is more lenient in terms of substance use. Read the rest of this entry »
Facebook and Society
Posted by in Society on October 22, 2011
Assessing the impact Facebook has had on society since its formal public opening – to anyone over the age of 13 – on 26 September 2006 is rather like assessing the impact of the wheel or steam engine but over a far shorter time-span. To date there have been no definitive studies of this impact, interested parties either concerning themselves with privacy, legal or similar issues, but a wealth of individual comments and publications surrounding cyberstalking, cyberbullying, Internet anonymity and commercialism. Facebook has, however, impacted the way that people react with one another almost to the same extent that the Internet itself, now twenty years old, has with a form of globalization hard to imagine a mere ten years ago. The ability of anyone to contact and connect with others anywhere in the world – with certain governmental restrictions – to follow their exploits and, effectively, be a part of their life has changed the way many people view societal relations.
Initially Facebook was designed as a means for students at Harvard University to contact and connect with one another, the name stemming from the Harvard Facebook issued to all new students as a means of helping them through the initial teething problems of their student life. It began life with a series of legal problems, including initial closure by the Fellows of Harvard University itself and charges of intellectual property theft all of which were either ironed out or settled through a short series of court agreements and judicial or private settlements, the latest being in March 2010. Read the rest of this entry »