Saturday 26 January 2013

What is the Internet Doing to Us?

The internet can be good or bad, depending on how it is used. Some people use it to receive and send emails, search for information on search engines, and earn money by updating blogs or selling their products online. It is also a new way to make friends, which is convenient for people who are shy. However, these benefits may be offset by the disadvantages. For example, there is a lot of unwanted advertisements, more than on television, and there is a danger of sharing too much personal information online, which could lead to identity theft. The internet has become a window through which we can see the world for all it is, both good and bad.

There are many benefits of the internet that makes life easier. These include the ability to read the news for free, interact and chat with your friends on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, wasting time by watch videos on Youtube, and download music, e-books and television programs onto portable devices. For older people, there are other things you can do, like finding and applying for college or a job. This makes life easier because there is less need to travel at great cost over long distances. It is also possible to check your bank account and order groceries and clothing online. The internet is a different world. It not only provides a lot of information, but also connects people from around the world!

Generally, I love the net because I spend a lot of time listening to music and I watch all kinds of videos online. When I'm bored at home, with just a few clicks, I can enter a new universe, the cyber-verse. I especially like the opportunity to learn new things, like speaking a foreign language. Once, I tried to teach myself Russian on Google Translate. I have even read several different blogs that taught me how to make elaborately decorated cakes or cook exotic recipes. In my opinion, the internet is a fantastic tool that has connected most of the world in a new and pioneering way.

Unfortunately, there is also a lot of misinformation on certain websites that can cause many problems. I have seen articles that people have seen on the internet and seem to take as gospel, even though to me they are blatantly incorrect. People should not trust some websites like Wikipedia. However, many young people continue to use it for their homework, and copy and paste whole paragraphs into their essays. People do not only use it for cheating too. There is the association with cyberbullying that gives a negative effect on the social environment of the internet. Whether through explicit threats, trolling, or alienation of a specific person or group, it incites some people to get hurt, become introverted, and ignore the real world in favor of this new alternate reality. It is a shame that some people lose the ability to talk to people in the world around them. It is very easy to get lost inside the net, and oftentimes, once people are addicted, it's very difficult to get clean, because society is so dependent on the internet. 

I spend a lot of time on the Internet every day. As such, I used to be so addicted to surfing the net I found myself unable to concentrate on the work in front of me, so I had a serious problem with time management. I developed introverted and lazy behavior. I became dependent on the Internet, dependent on something that does not even exist in the material world. I knew it was getting bad when I started to suffer from sleeping disorders, and luckily I stopped before more medical problems occurred  I wouldn't like to have back problems or poor posture for the rest of my life from sitting with my back leaning over the screen. More than anything, I would hate to suffer paresthesia in my hands by constant cramping as I typed on the keyboard.

There are many more dangers of the internet, such as bank fraud, viruses, and malicious hackers. I worry that if I post something on the Internet, hackers can steal or plagiarize it for their own purposes. However, these disadvantages are only there if you're sensible about your actions online. Intelligent people should be able to go on the net without thinking about personal data theft, viruses or cyber-bullying. The virtual world is a dangerous place only if you let it be. The internet is a good tool for the implementation of the idea of ​​freedom of speech and is an easy way to collect information. The internet has so much to offer with a  promising future, but we need to be more careful about what we put on it.

In short, I feel that although the Internet seems to have more disadvantages, in reality these can be avoided by using your brain and treating the Internet with caution. But for the most part, the internet is improving its standards through the voice of the people. Even large problems can be brought to light by the union of all, such as with Kony 2012.

The internet is the beginning of a whole new era, and the benefits of the internet are so huge and so useful to humanity, we can make some real differences in our life together through the virtual world.