Introduction
The internet has certainly brought people together form different parts of the globe. However, in many ways it has also pulled them further apart from one another than ever before. Despite the difference of opinion among the population, one thing can be said for certain, that is, the internet has played an important role in the evolution of the modern human civilization. In this article on advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, we shall explore the evolution of the internet, and how it has played a substantial role in the shaping life as we know it today. We will also have an in depth look into the various advantages and disadvantages of the internet, using which its future role shall be discussed.
Subscribe our YouTube channel for more related videos
Mankind has always walked towards finding newer and better ways of performing their day to day tasks. Just like the discovery of fire helped us to cook our food, invention of money allowed us to monetize everything around us, and electricity which helped pave the path for a futuristic world, the internet also has a crucial role to play in taking humanity to uncharted heights and unexplored worlds.
Brief History of Internet
The internet is described as the interconnection of different computing devices to form a network. It was first achieved in 1960, by US department of Defence. The original project was known as ARPANET. It showed the world about the possibilities of a world which is linked through a single network. However, it wasn’t until 1989, when Tim-Berners Lee, created the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP). This led to the creation of the World Wide Web (WWW) and gave computer networks around the world a chance to access the same sites. With the creation of World Wide Web, the internet as we know it today started to take shape and with the time people started to recognize its capabilities.
The next segment of this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay will look upon the various benefits offered by the internet in order to fully understand how it has changed the lives of people in the 21st century.
Advantages of Internet
In the present scenario internet has grown far beyond what its original creators and inventors had thought of. The internet delivers an extensive variety of advantages to all those who have access to it. It is very important when we talk about, the advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, to acknowledge its indirect implications on the world and the people in it. Let’s look at the most influential advantages of the internet which have changed people’s lives for good:
Communication
It is important to include this point in this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay as the enhancement in the ways in which human beings communicated digitally with one another has been one of the most important benefits of the internet. The internet enables us to connect with people all around the world, even from the remote places where it would be difficult to make a call.
The internet has advanced so much and has come up with innovative solutions which have made communication much easier. E-mail, instant messaging, video calls, and even sharing of memes can be categorised as communication to share information of formal or informal nature.
Formal information in the form of business communication, scientific research discoveries, government press release, and all other fields are largely dependent on the internet for fast transmission of information in the most effective manner. Businesses function effectively with the help of email communication, which allows them to transfer information to their employees and consumers. Scientists can collaborate with one other through different parts of the world to get the required information for their research. Government authorities and leaders have a much faster way to inform the people regarding any political reforms or events.
Access to Resources
The internet enables people to not only share information to convey their messages but it also serves as a place to store information and media digitally. This feature of the internet has served a great purpose in storing information in the form of text, audio, images, videos or a combination of all of those. The internet has provided a means to store and access necessary information through the internet. This has proven beneficial to access resources which can be used for learning information about unknown topics.
The field of education and research has benefitted the most from this feature. This is because students, scientists or any other individual who seeks to learn about anything can access this information and learn. The interconnection of different networks and the shared information resources from around the world create a wide web of data and information which can be used by individuals from all parts of the world. Much of the information present in this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay has also been researched on the internet.
Access to a plethora of information resources opens gates to using that information to explore new avenues. This makes space for additional research which can lead to new inventions and discoveries which can change the world.
E-Commerce
While talking about the advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, it is really important to address the e-commerce. As internet flourished in the 80s and 90s, people started to realise that it can be used for more than just staying connected and sharing information.
With the introduction of e-commerce people started to experience something which they had never done before. Now people could buy things from the comfort of their home. This created a large market for online retailers and it also integrated different fields of businesses. Manufactures, supply chain, retailers, and consumer experience everything changed with the introduction of new ways to purchase products.
Amazon, E-Bay, AliBaba are among the most popular e-commerce websites present today. There are many other new websites and platforms coming up from different places on the planet. All of them serve the same role of making the lives of consumers easier. Nowadays people can purchase almost everything they need to go on with their lives, and get it delivered right at their doorstep within days.
Accessibility
With the introduction of the internet, everything became basically just a few clicks away. With the help of internet people can find individuals they need. It can be family, school friends, office colleagues, or even, plumbers, carpenters, and mechanics. Whoever you need, whenever and wherever you need them, you can find them on the internet. The internet has enabled so many businesses, and sole proprietors to find work with their skills and earn more money.
In addition to buying products and hiring services, you can do so much more with the help of the internet, such as learn a new hobby or build your own house. The possibilities of this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay are endless. It can be regarded as one of the most powerful feature of internet which has put the control back into people’s hand. Anyone can learn any skill for self-improvement or get the tools to be better.
Internet has made everything a lot more accessible, easier and a lot less complicated. This opens up the possibilities of what an individual can achieve through the use and application of internet.
Entertainment and Lifestyle
Whether you love it or hate it entertainment industry has become a major part of our lives. Be it the movies, music, theatre, or professional sports, entertainment and broadcast has also been largely effected by the internet.
Before the internet became popular, going to the movie theatres, renting movie CDs and watching cable TV was one of the world’s most favoured medium of entertainment. Since the coming of internet websites such as YouTube, Netflix and other entertainment platforms, the face of entertainment industry has changed a lot. People could watch endless hours of entertaining videos, movies; listen to songs, for free or with a small subscription fee. You no longer need to stand in long queues, to get your tickets and CDs, you can just get the movie you want to watch, streamed right on your TV, Laptop , or mobile.
The internet has paved way for more and more individuals who want to learn cinematography, acting, screenwriting, singing, composing, editing and all other tasks that are necessary to make a film or a song. Independent artists and content creator have made a successful career by learning things through the internet.
The internet has also influenced the lifestyle of people around the world and changed the way they live. As different regions around the world have different cultures, internet has allowed people to explore and examine such cultures and incorporate its values and mannerisms into their lives. For example: A person living in Sydney can learn about the culture of Tokyo, and even learn everything there and know about the way Japanese people live. Internet changes the way people live by allowing them to explore how other people are living in other parts of the world.
In this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, it is next to impossible to name all of the benefits and advantages of the internet. This is mainly because the internet has become so entangled and integrated in our daily lives, that it has an influence on everything we experience around us. From the straw we drink out of to the orange whose juice you are drinking, internet and its implemented products and services have an influence over it, at some stage and in some manner.
Disadvantages of the Internet
There are always two sides to every coin, and the other side of the coin that is the internet, is quite dented. In the next section of this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, let us discuss the disadvantages and the possible risks associated with the modern day applications of the internet.
The following disadvantages of the internet should be taken with a grain of salt, which is to say that where most of the points which we have covered have been highlighted during the research of this article, there other points which we found that can seem eye s opening.
Let us have a look at some of the disadvantages that the internet brings with it:
Isolated from Outside World
While the internet provides us all of the tools, products and services we need right at our door step, at the same time it is alienating us from the world outside. As we get more accustomed to ordering everything online, be it food, drinks, commodities, even paying bills, getting out of the house has become less frequent. In addition to the health issues, it can also cause various mental issues as well, such as social anxiety, psychosis and even depression.
Teenagers and young kids are the most influenced by it as they are the generations who have been subjected to the internet since they are born. Unlike the parents and the generations before that, they haven’t experienced a time on the internet, so they are moulded to a life which is dependent on the internet. This can affect their lives as it can hinder their learning capabilities and real life problem solving skills, because they are accustomed to using their mobile for every task.
Social Isolation and alienation can bring upon various mental, physical and social complications among people. Therefore, it is important to know when and where not to use the internet, and every once in a while, go out and experience life without gadgets and electronics.
Eats Away Time
That is exactly what internet does. It eats away your time like a termite infestation which eats all the woodwork in a house. There is no end to the amount of entertaining content there is to watch on the internet. In addition, social networking sites, like Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, keep you engaged, by showing you a never ending number of posts and memes. It becomes very common to lose track of time while doing that.
In fact, it has been found that an average person spends close to 6 hours and 42 minutes per day on the internet. Note that, this is the time that people are actually awake. So if you take away the 8 hours of sleep time from their day, out of the rest of the 16-17 hours of the day, people spend close to 7 hours on the internet. Therefore internet consumes a lot of time. Time which otherwise could have been spend on doing something productive.
Bad Influence on Children
The internet is full of all sorts of information, and content. Therefore, there are a lot of chances that children surfing the internet may come across something which they should not. Toddlers and adolescent ages are quite fragile and children can easily be influenced. Therefore, internet can serve as kindling to the fire and expose them to something which might leave an impression on them. It could be anything, such as violent video games, ghost stories, horror movies and NSFW content. In fact many studies report the internet may content pornographic content ranging from 5 to 15% of all the things on the internet, which is a lot.
Surely, you can use parental controls, block the illicit websites, and monitor what your kid is watching, but children today are more tech savvy than we give them credit for. It is easy to bypass those security measures.
In addition to come across some website which contains inappropriate contents, children could also get into contact with all sorts of different people, good and bad, through various chat rooms and forums. This could have harmful impression on children and adults alike.
So it is important to teach your children at an early age, about being cautious on the internet and not talk to any strangers, as they might try to get sensitive personal information out of them, which can be used to scam parents.
Fake News
In recent years the spread of fake new has become a big threat to the people in the community. As more than 57% population of the world use the internet, it is easy for people to stay connected. With this interconnection of people, they can share information and event from around the world without any verification. As actions have consequences, internet has become an important place to acquire news; it gets very difficult to verify the real news from the fake ones.
Spread of fake news can cause other people to panic and disrupt the harmony of the community. Therefore it is important to be vigilant on the internet and be sure to believe only the information which you have verified yourself. It has the power to influence more than half the population of this planet, makes the internet a very dangerous tool in the hands of wrong individuals.
The fake news problem can be seen in practical example, if we try to get an overview of all the information, memes and posts which was shared by people during the COVID-19 pandemic, thinking it was accurate. There are various other instances where widespread of false information has led to unnecessary complications. This is why; Government and Cybercrime units all around the world are taking measures to minimize the spread of false claims and fake information.
Security Threat
So far in this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, we have established that the internet is the most effective way of bringing people closer. However, we should take into consideration, that the internet can also bring you closer to the wrong kind of people. People who may not have the best intentions for you or people who may want to scam you.
As you perform various activities on the internet, you are also exposing yourself to various threats. Such as you as prone to get your computer system infected with malicious software and viruses. You are prone to lose your personal information. The internet poses the threat of hackers stealing sensitive information about your business. And then there are scams and other illicit activities which are undertaken on the internet.
It has been researched by various sources and they have found that there is a significant portion of the internet called the dark web, which requires special configurations to access. There has been much research on the dark web, and it has been found that the dark web serves as an international online market place for various illegal activities, such as selling drugs, counterfeit software and products, frauds, and other activities. The stuff of legends, myths, and conspiracy theories are made.
Information in the Wrong Hand
Information is never good or bad, it is only how you choose to use that information which makes it so. We have mentioned it earlier in this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay that the internet is an endless resource for getting useful information. However, this information in the wrong hands can create a lot of problems.
It is very easy for any person nowadays to learn about anything, any place, or anyone. All you have to do is look hard enough and you can find something. Your social media account is an open book about your life, so any unauthorized individual can access it to learn information about you which could be used against you.
Online stalking and trolling have become quite a usual occurrence. There is a substantial increase in the figure of police reports filed for online trolling and stalking. This can take a toll on a person’s mental health and their security may also be compromised.
Apart from this, the internet has also made it a lot easier for various illegal groups such as hackers, scammers, and even terrorist organizations to learn information about their target person, business, or cities. This is why governments have worked hard in ensuring that such activities are monitored and controlled.
Conclusion
From the information covered in this advantages and disadvantages essay, it can be said that the benefits of the internet outweigh the disadvantages and threats it brings. Provided, all government regulations for safe internet browsing are followed and appropriate measures are taken. Children can benefit a lot from the use of resourceful information on the internet, with proper adult supervision and safety measures. Additional vigilance must be taken when undertaking any business or personal transaction involving money and sensitive information. It is important for anyone surfing the internet to stay updated with the latest laws and regulations of their particular country as each country has different laws regarding safe surfing on the internet. In conclusion to this advantages and disadvantages of internet essay, the responsibility to be safe falls on the surfers and users themselves. One needs to stay vigilant and perform regular security checks on their network and computing devices to ensure that they are secure from any online attacks.
Total Assignment Help
Incase, you are looking for an opportunity to work from home and earn big money. TotalAssignmenthelp Affiliate program is the best choice for you.
Do visit : https://www.totalassignmenthelp.com/affiliate-program for more details
Total Assignment help is an online assignment help service available in 9 countries. Our local operations span across Australia, US, UK, South east Asia and the Middle East. With extensive experience in academic writing, Total assignment help has a strong track record delivering quality writing at a nominal price that meet the unique needs of students in our local markets.
We have specialized network of highly trained writers, who can provide best possible assignment help solution for all your needs. Next time you are looking for assignment help, make sure to give us a try.