Some may say that the Internet is the best thing to happen since sliced pie. Others may argue that it is the worst thing ever created and it needs to be destroyed. Then you have those few that are in the middle, like me, that believes the Internet is a great invention, but people weren’t ready for such an advanced technology. Whichever side you take is perfectly fine.
It is true the Internet has some very great components. It enables you to connect with family from all over and not have to pay long distance fees to call them. It allows you to send an email to 20 people at once, instead of handwriting memos to everyone. Personally, I love that I can pay nearly all of my bills online and that I have 24-hour access to online banking.
The Internet has changed the way we share information, gather information, communicate and get a college education. Whether you are writing a 10-page research paper or just doing random Google searches, the Internet allows you to access hundreds of sources for information, rather than having to look through numerous of books and articles. You can stream videos, download music, watch television episodes or YouTube videos, and read articles from newspapers all over the world. All it takes is the click and scroll of a mouse to access it.
Like anything else, the Internet has its flaws. The Internet is an ever-growing web of tangled information. It has no end to it whatsoever and it’s always on. It also consumes the lives of too many people. Have you ever been on YouTube searching for performances of your favorite band, then two hours later you find yourself looking at the video of a guy getting a zit the size of Mt. Everest popped from his back? You’re thinking, “Darn, how did I get to this video?” Instead of putting energy into cleaning, getting fresh air or working, you decide to focus more on Facebook statuses, tweets and celebrity gossip.
The Internet also has a lack of privacy. My mama always told me that people talk too much, and it’s true. People put too much of their business out there, especially on the Internet. Trust me; nobody cares to see that picture of you on Facebook with your privates hanging out because you’re a 35 year old who can’t handle your liquor. Nor do we care to know that you have five kids, 10-baby daddies and another child on the way. Putting this information out for everyone to see does not make you cool. Some things you just have to learn to keep to yourself, it’s not for the world to see. In addition, what mystery do you have to yourself when I can access everything about you from social networking sites?
The Internet also makes it hard to decipher what’s fact from fiction. Since things on the Internet can spread within a matter of minutes, it hard to believe what’s factual and what’s not true. It’s easy to fake something and some people are so gullible that it seems they’ll believe anything if it’s posted on the Internet. “Get your Doctorates degree in as little as 5 days. Lose 20lbs in 1 day. Learn how to build your perfect house by looking at this YouTube tutorial.” It’s just too much.
The Internet also has thousands of predators lurking in chat rooms, scammers, viruses and spyware, which it is extremely important that you’re using your safety awareness to avoid such dilemmas.
As I’ve stated before, I believe that the internet is a wonderful invention. It allows you to do so many positive things and it is arguably one of the greatest inventions of all time. On the other hand, I do believe that the Internet is something that people as a whole weren’t ready for. Instead of taking advantage of its advanced technology, like finding a cure for breast cancer or figuring out how such-and-such disease affects other countries, we’d rather waste or time posting statuses of how we need to poop or spreading hate because someone looks and acts differently than we do.