The most obvious advantages of the internet are that it has removed the need for manual processing. For example, you can pay your bills online, you can order food online, you may apply for jobs online, and you may even buy a house online. Yet, people forget that the internet has changed society as a whole. My essay explores the advantages and disadvantages of the internet while also considering how the internet has positively or negatively affected society.
The internet allows us to conduct all our financial affairs online, which also includes investments in everything from the stock market to Bitcoin. One disadvantage is that there are now many new ways to steal from a person, be it by hosting an online investment scam, or methods more insidious such as identity theft. On the plus side, the internet has made checking personal finances a lot easier, which also means a person may detect fraud more quickly and conveniently.
(Rice, 2000)
The internet is a great tool for learning, and people are not restricted to just college courses and paid learning programs. Forums allow people to offer gifts of teaching, and so do things such as websites and YouTube. One does not need to take a degree in electrical engineering in order to install their power shower in their bathroom when there are many websites and YouTube videos that will walk such people through it. The downside is obviously that such information is not regulated, which means the same people may watch a video on shower installation that offers poor advice and that may lead to dangerous situations.
(Fricker, 2002)
Labeling is a very big thing thanks to the internet since progressively-left groups have taught people how to label the things they are unable to argue with. Instead of listening to another person’s opinion, progressively-left groups have taught their mindless followers to label such people. For example, instead of listening to a person expound his or her feelings on immigration, progressive lefts label them as racists to justify ignoring the argument. If a man doesn’t wish to vote for a female president, then he is labeled a sexist or chauvinist so that his argument may be ignored. Sadly, the internet and social media has provided a perfect tool for spreading damaging ideals.
(Birnbaum, 2000)
The way that people think about personal space has changed thanks to the internet. People now communicate in a wide variety of ways, but fewer and fewer ways involve being physically close to a person in order to talk to them. As a result, people who have had more exposure to the benefits of the internet are finding it harder and harder to be around other people. Even a crowded bus is enough to ruin a person’s day. Attitudes towards other people has also changed since the internet allows people to be as self-righteous or rude to others without any consequences, and these attitudes seem to spill over into real life.
(Bremer, 2005)
Attitudes towards sex have also changed because of the internet, and not just in terms of how it is viewed, but also in technical detail. Young people are learning about sexual technique from online pornography without realizing that pornography demonstrates no affection, love, romance, chemistry or connection. Pornography is a staged and mechanical act where passion is often absent, or where passion is portrayed as sexual aggression, and young people believe that this is how the physical act of making love is supposed to work.
(Lang, 2000)
Probably one of the greatest things about the internet is how it has affected entertainment. It may be true that a small minority of people steal movies and games, but most people enjoy access to games, movies, TV shows and music with just the click of a link. Mainstream entertainment has never been so accessible, and in some cases the use of the internet has improved the entertainment value of certain pleasurable platforms. The most obvious is gaming since people are now able to play games with hundreds of people from around the world and it is as easy as peeling an orange. It is true that not all forms of entertainment have been improved because even though most people love streaming movies, there are limits as to how high the quality of the visual images are. This often leads to big-budget movies looking grainy or blocky in places, and it means that streamers cannot watch movies in full HD (aka Blu-Ray) quality. However, these seem like small prices to pay for instant access to a world of entertainment.
Conclusion
There is no doubt that the internet is an amazing invention and has no doubt made the world a far better place, but that doesn’t mean we should ignore the dangers that it offers. This includes things such as the dark web where animal and human violations are encouraged and monetized, and where radical thinking and even bomb making is exposed without consequence. The internet has solved a great many problems, but it has also generated a whole new set of problems for our society and for our community to tackle. Such problems may exist for a long time until the thing that replaces the internet is invented.
Bibliography
Birnbaum, M. H. (Ed.). (2000). Psychological experiments on the internet. Elsevier.
Bremer, J. (2005). The internet and children: advantages and disadvantages. Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics, 14(3), 405-428.
Fricker, R. D., &Schonlau, M. (2002). Advantages and disadvantages of internet research surveys: Evidence from the literature. Field methods, 14(4), 347-367.
Lang, T. C. (2000). The effect of the internet on travel consumer purchasing behaviour and implications for travel agencies. Journal of vacation marketing, 6(4), 368-385.
Rice, R. E., & Katz, J. E. (2000). The internet and health communication: Experiences and expectations. Sage Publications.
