Essay on the Internet: Advantages and Disadvantages
Introduction
The internet makes our lives easier all the time. Internet technologies improved our communication and introduced new methods of communication. Now people from all over the world can contact each other immediately, sharing a lot of information of any kind. The internet is a necessary tool for business, as well as for our everyday lives. We can find new friends and learn other cultures. Internet technologies provide fast and convenient means of education, and it had never been so easy to find all necessary information about everything.
Started with e-mail, possibilities of internet communication extended due to social networks. We need just a few mouse clicks, or taps on the screen to find texts, music, and images of any kind. The internet develops all the time, and every day we have some new features that make our lives easier than before. However, the internet also has certain disadvantages. We are going to consider both pros and cons of the internet below.
Advantages of the Internet
First of all, we don’t need to take a long ride to somebody we want to see. The internet provides instant communication among people from all over the world, all the time. Such technologies as e-mail, and social networks made it possible to send a message from one corner of the earth to another, and this process takes just a second. A lot of companies appreciated advantages of the internet, since now they are able to expand their services and find new customers from all over the world. Now they can form groups in social networks, creating a database of people who are interested exactly in their product, creating a perfectly targeted audience. Such technologies also improved personal communication. Many apps offer online video conferences, chatting and other forms of instant communication, which help increase the efficiency of business, and stay in touch with friends as well. Internet technologies provide instant sharing of information among employees of a company, therefore improving the efficiency of management.
Along with communication opportunities, the internet offers us the most convenient way to find information about almost everything. Using searching engines, such as Google or Yahoo, every user is able to find information about any known subject, such as law, sciences, health, politics, and so on. The internet helps to share ideas, and find people who are interested in the same things as you.
Now there are a lot of forums and groups devoted to any subject, so people from all over the world are able to work on the same projects, sharing their thoughts and ideas. We can see the latest news in just a few seconds after a certain event occurred. Fans are able to see all details of celebrities’ lives; traders can get the freshest information on economics and currency rates. The internet not only helps us get any information, but also helps us save time. We don’t need to go to libraries or search for some article in newspapers anymore. Therefore, everyone has more time and can work on more tasks simultaneously.
Students get more opportunities for their researches. Now they can cooperate in the internet, creating new projects that require team work. They don’t need to stay at the same place anymore; they can just contact each other via social networks or e-mail. The internet also gives universities all necessary tools to monitor progress of every student working on some project. Online education becomes a common choice for people who don’t have enough time to go to colleges or universities. Now everyone can learn any subject from home, just visiting certain sources. Such a thing is of key importance for those who are looking for education in a certain country, living in another country. Now millions of students save a lot of money, because they don’t need to leave their homes anymore.
Another most common use of the internet is entertainment. The internet provides all kinds of entertainment, replacing TV, radio and fashion magazines. Now we can download games, watch movies and find any kinds of entertainment in just a second. Many celebrities use social networks as the main part of their promotional campaigns. Popular brands use this advantage as well, since now they have no need to film a promo clip about some products. All they need is a photo of a certain celebrity in Instagram, who immediately shows new product to millions of subscribers. Gamers are able to download any game. Moreover, the internet introduced online gaming which created new standards of game industry. Now gamers from all over the world can compete and participate in development of their favorite games, creating new mods and sharing their ideas with other members of online communities. We don’t need to go to movie theaters anymore, because every movie can be downloaded in just a few seconds, or watched online. Musicians present new tracks, and every fan of a certain musician has instant access to the latest updates. Another important feature of internet communication is online dating, which changed lives of millions of lonely people. Now everyone can date somebody online, or use online services to meet in the real life.
Internet also provides new opportunities for shopping. We can find any kinds of products, and buy necessary products in just a few clicks. Customers have an opportunity to compare prices in different shops. We can even pay via online payment systems, so all we need now is to choose a product, pay, and wait for delivery. Such companies as Amazon even introduced new systems of fast delivery that help shorten the time between a click and receiving a product. Now we have all necessary tools to send or receive money in just a few seconds. This creates a lot of advantages for people who are working online. A lot of experts now don’t need to visit offices, working from home and receiving payments on their card. Now tourists are able to buy tickets online, as well as to book a room in the hotel. A lot of people appreciated advantages of online payments, paying their taxes, reserving hotels, buying goods, and transferring money to anyone they need.
A lot of people appreciate advantages of video blogging, making it a source of income, and creating a community of fans who are interested in their content. Now talented people don’t need to spend many years to become a celebrity. People choose what they want to see, and popularity becomes a direct choice of the audience, not a product of marketing effort. A lot of writers don’t puzzle on how they will publish their books, since the internet gives enough tools to not only publish your materials, but also deliver it directly to people who are interested in such things.
Disadvantages of the Internet
Of course, the internet also has certain disadvantages. First of all, a lot of people spend too much time in the internet, especially when it comes to social networks. We already mentioned above, how useful the internet can be for students, giving them new opportunities for learning. Along with that, the internet has a negative impact on some students, stealing their time and distracting them from necessary tasks. An unstoppable flow of information makes them hard to concentrate and focus on really important goals. Many people don’t even realize how much time they spend just chatting with friends, or watching YouTube videos.
There are a lot of other problems caused by the internet. The internet has so much information that it becomes harder to protect copyright. Millions of people share and download information for free, using unlicensed products and stealing somebody else’s information. Along with that, being a communication tool, the internet created new standards of communication that are far from real conversation. Many children lose their ability to communicate with others in the real life, since this type of communication involves many additional factors, such as eye contact or facial expressions.
The internet also provides a lot of possibilities for scammers and blackmailers. Almost every day we hear news about stolen private information. Many people become victims of blackmailing or just someone’s cruel jokes. It’s hard to protect private information, especially when people publish a lot of private data in social networks. It’s not a problem to spy on somebody who actively uses social networks. Sharing photos, adding geotags, we provide potential detractors with all necessary data: where we live, places we are going to, our friends, and so on.
Online games changed behavior of children, who don’t want to go outside no more. Without physical activity, children more often suffer from various diseases; and the lack of real communication affects their mental condition. It becomes hard to adapt to the adult life, where all people face the need to interact with each other, as well as to be a part of a community. Many computer games display violence and make children perceive violence as a fun. It’s no surprise that many children have problems with anger management, and the saddest thing is that such an effect can be life-long.
Along with violence, the internet hides a lot of other risks for children. Many pedophiles search for their victims in the internet. Given that even young children often have accounts in social networks, pedophiles easily contact them and abuse their trust. Of course, there are a lot of tools of parental control, but most of these tools cannot provide efficient protection for children in social media, only blocking adult content. According to statistics, more than 60% of American children have talked to strangers in social networks.
Conclusion
As we can see, most problems of the internet relate to children and their cyber-safety. New internet technologies constantly create new challenges for parents and teachers.
Some people state that we must implement new strategies of regulation, to control the internet activity. On the other hand, free speech is impossible in such conditions, which makes internet security a difficult issue. First of all, we must teach our children how to use the internet properly, minimizing risks for their physical and mental health. One of the best solutions is monitoring how much time children spend in the internet. Parents must participate in lives of their children and teach them basics of internet security.
We also must consider internet addiction as a serious form of mental disorder. There are from 10 to 15 million people with such a kind of addiction only in the US. According to statistics, most of people who suffer from internet addiction are young children. They spend most of their lives online, and it becomes really hard for them to switch between the real and virtual worlds. And, of course, many of them make their choice in favor of the latter one. First of all, we must raise our children and warn them of possible threats.
Despite a lot of disadvantages, the internet is an indispensable tool for everyone. We cannot imagine modern life without it, and it provides more new opportunities for us every day, simplifying our lives, and providing new standards of service, technologies, and communication.
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