Introduction
Using the deep web takes a lot of responsibility, maturity and discipline, as it contains all sorts of malice and hosts all sorts of anti-social and deviant ideas. Whether it be propaganda or harm with intention, deviancy or anything else, the deep web serves consequences not only for one's self but also for the society in general.
Normalization
Normalizing the usage of the deep web among one's peers or acquaintances, or the spread of such behavior online, may lead to the deep web becoming a harbor for many ill characters. Ill characters can become a bigger part of the people you know. If the acts and services offered on the deep web become acceptable and usable, the spread of these services would become a sight not only on the clear web where social media websites are, but also in real life, where people who may have gotten addicted to drugs through deep web services would still need drugs, meaning said drugs would be in demand on the street in real life. This dependence and addiction is not only counter-productive to society as a whole but to the smaller society of the social network of people around you, and is also dangerous to one's ability to function and take care of one's self. Back to the deep web, we can see that the normalization of behavior that is online on the deep web can lead to its normalization in real life, not only the spread of drugs, but also the spread of arms. Weapons could be sent worldwide through the dark web, using ingenious methods, meaning that arms would be normalized and spread into many different countries, some of which might not want any weapons in their societies, such as in Japan, where having a gun is forbidden by law. As such, a global culture of arms carrying could get normalized.
Desensitization
Violence appears a lot on the deep web; much of it is real, and nearly all the events depicted are illegal pretty much everywhere. The violence that appears on the deep web is very raw and many other illegal and deviant activities are portrayed. Desensitization to these issues will not only lead to normalization and spread but also to loss of empathy, as watching too much violence might make it seem to be a usual part of life. In this way, the person getting desensitized will start to disregard violence in the real world and not give much attention to it. Moreover, some might start wanting to see more violence on screen, known as hedonic adaptation, in which, for this example, there would not be enough gore to satisfy their shock value and so they would want even more extreme content. What is more likely to happen is having less empathy about an issue, such as criminal activity in certain areas in the world, especially if said areas have weak socioeconomic structures.
Misleading
Many websites on the deep web might lead to social dangers that could turn into political danger as well. For example, the websites of ISIS are hosted on the deep web. Many young people might find themselves influenced by the propaganda spread by ISIS and, in fact, many people joined ISIS after using their website for too long, so it definitely poses a risk for extremist ideologies to spread. Another ideology would be fascism; websites such as the daily stormer are hosted on the deep web that carry very hostile feelings towards different groups of people. Whichever ideology is the case, it certainly is dangerous to end up fighting and harming one's life and the quality of said life due to some internet propaganda. This is why, even if one person exposes himself to this sort of propaganda, it can cause harm not only to one's immediate community and network of people, but to other countries and communities as well. In fact, many sleeper cells of many ideologies are spread worldwide. They do not really have a good life, as most of their life is comprised of hiding themselves and also minimizing their social communications. All in all, getting mislead into strange territory would not end well for those who pursue such activities; taking interest in such groups is different than being curious.
Dangerous
Identity theft is a serious matter; individuals pretending to be someone other than themselves risk that person’s financial wellbeing, whether it be acquaintances from work or family members, someone depends on another, meaning that losing your info could weaken the social structure. This is not to say that every person you meet will try to hurt you but caution is still important for safety. Further, using drugs and weapons has known social consequences, such as a weaker social structure. Besides those dangers, some might risk getting more than a Trojan, some might even get hacked and blackmailed, which while rare is still a possibility. Some have had their cryptocurrency money in virtual investments on the deep web and lost a lot. Scams are definitely there and are high risk. They are everywhere, from cryptocurrency mining to buying and selling all the way to investing, most of the markets for such a thing are a big scam.
Shocking
The material on the deep web can range from deviant to horrible. Most of this range is illegal to partake in or promote, yet seeing those things on screen will be an unforgettable experience, as most people will come to find that the world is a worse place than they imagined. This can leave an impact on an individual's life as these memories cling to their owner and are then remembered every time they come in contact with anything similar, especially if it is digital; the shock value will keep on giving. Many people like to tell themselves that the deep web is not real or that the activities there are simulated; they later find out that this could not be so, as the instances of cannibalism were documented in real life, such as the famous Armin Meiwes case, which started through a cannibalism forum on the deep web. In general, for one's own health, it is best to steer away from such interests.
Gateway drug
Entry to the deep web is mostly fine as long as one is not trying to hurt themselves or another; yet, seeing too much extremist content would lead an individual to become more deviant in time. This individual's entertainment value, whether political or spectacle, will need more shock and more extreme entertainment. This becomes worse when we realize that many people do not stop when they are overexposed to something. After that, an individual may not notice their habit as an addiction to begin with and would claim that they could quit at any moment or that they are not addicted. Moreover, some might make it seem that you can not be addicted to a certain stimuli because it is not addictive. This is not necessarily true as one could become addicted to cheap dopamine highs. When one's interest reaches the deep web, it does not mean that they are a bad person, especially if they're curious, however, it does mean that their interests are heading into a suspicious region. Here, moderation becomes important, and abstaining from it on and off might make one less dependent on it, whether for entertainment or the supposed feeling of security: if anything, the deep web could be less secure than the Clearnet, as I have outlined in a previous article. For safety reasons, you could be spied on through exit nodes by the government, so it is not really a safe alternative nor an option for more privacy; if anything, it shines a spotlight on someone's digital behavior.
Socialization
Socializing with friends or colleagues or acquaintances is different from socializing with people who you do not know and might have a negative influence on you. This is especially negative for those underage who might pickup extremist ideas or become socialized with strangers who can lead them off-track. Stranger danger is not just for children or the underage, it could also be for adults; before you know it, you might find yourself carrying an ideology that will socialize you or resocialize you differently, that will not only harm you, but harm those around you. In this, you might find it hard to fit in, getting socialized by an online international community is not the same as being socialized by an extremist group. As such, interacting with people on the deep web with services such as anonymous chat or just regular surfing can make for life changes that could very well be unexpected. Further, most information is found on the Clearnet anyways, whether it be WikiLeaks or any other politically oriented website. Whether it is information or entertainment, there is not much difference to look for on the deep web other than illegal services and websites.
Conclusion
While using the dark web for curiosity is not negative, overusing it may lead to social consequences. What happens online does not just stay online, the beliefs acquired and services used carry on socially. As such, it is important to exercise caution when using websites on the deep web.
About the author
I have worked in the field of journalism for the past two years, I am a journalistic writer and a curious person, interested in the social and humanities related aspects of topics. My beginning entry was about the deep web, which I have sparsely surfed for many years.