In this fast-paced world where everyone is competing to be the first in whatever they are embarking on, face-to-face communication with a person is getting rarer and flipping the books to get information has been a method gone outdated. However, this has been replaced by one powerful tool that does these and even more. This is none other than the Internet.
Internet has been defined as the global system of interconnected computer networks designed to serve the people’s needs. Even the definition of Internet is extracted from this tool!Hence, this clearly reasons out why many are unable to imagine a life without the Internet. However, this has also led to the eventual misuse of the program as some have carried out actions that are very damaging using the Internet. They have realised that it can cause a greater negative impact on people due to the large population linked up by this system.
Therefore, this essay will discuss about the positive as well as negative impacts of Internet usage on users and people around them.To start off with, Internet has made communication between people easier and faster. Gone are the days where people communicate through letters and even telephone calls. Nowadays, emails and online live messengers have been sought by users to update their close relatives of their stay in another country, or to liaise with business associates from all over the world. Also, social websites such as Facebook and Twitter have allowed people to find their long-lost friends and maintain contact with them although you do not meet them directly.
It opens up a platform for students to reminisce the times they were together by uploading photos and sharing them with their close friends. It simply takes a matter of seconds for one to communicate with someone even from another part of the world that could possibly take hours to travel to. Besides, students can not only communicate with their friends but teachers as well to clarify possible doubts that may arise during their course of revision for examinations through these E-learning websites instead of waiting for the teachers to have one-one consultation which could consume more time.An example of this would be the outbreak of SARS in 2003, where schools had to be closed to prevent the spread of the disease.
The teachers assigned homework to students via E-learning and students could submit their homework and clear their doubts as well. Thus, it aids students in their continual learning as well as businessman and leisure-travellers to always be in touch with their associates and family respectively, serving as a boon to them. To add on, this essential tool has made access to information more efficient yet impactful.Hours of flipping books to sieve the important information needed for school projects has been cut down to a minute’s worth of typing the domain of your research and ‘hitting’ the search button. Information has been made easy to reach for and thus, people can complete the work they are assigned, faster than they expect to.
This also ensures that maximal learning takes place during the course of learning as the Internet allows the users to easily compare across various articles to look out for the different perspectives of the research topic.If research materials such as books and newspapers were to be utilized, this comparison cannot be done easily as it requires hours and days of plowing through them. In addition, such materials can only be bought for a certain cost or can be borrowed for only a certain period of time whereas most of the articles from the Internet are free of charge yet can be accessed at any point of time. This can in turn encourage more people to explore more domains and eventually expand their horizons. Such new knowledge is necessary to survive this world.
Another plus point of the Internet is that the information is presented in a way that activates most of the senses. The words and pictures appeal to visual learners while audio recordings and videos reach out to those who learn best by sense of hearing. Other materials tend to only target a certain type of sense mainly, sight which shortchanges people. This is however overcome by the Internet and learning is hence made more effective, showing that Internet is powerful in a positive way.
Furthermore, the Internet has served as a source of entertainment for many.In this stressful lifestyle, one needs to look out for avenues to relax so that they can function effectively. Imagine a life where you are simply doing your work and there is no other activity you can turn to rest. You will be very stressed up which can eventually bring about frustration on the work you do. However, such a packed lifestyle has made us afraid to rest where we fear being overtaken by others.
Also, the timings when the programmes are broadcasted may not be the time we are free. Hence, we would yearn that the show be telecasted during another timing or day.Internet has helped overcome such situation by having these shows online. Therefore, you can watch these shows at your free time without worrying that you will miss out on either your work to watch it or miss the show for your work. One such site would be the Xinmsn. com where the dramas and variety shows are uploaded for viewers.
People need not worry if they had not recorded the show as a week’s shows are on the website. Thus, they can view it anytime they want, which ensures a work-life balance that can make them more productive.This consequently results in people enjoying their life better by setting aside some time to watch their favourite shows. Such relaxation time is indeed beneficial for their spiritual health.
However, the Internet has its banes and it has to be acknowledged. One of them is the addiction which can cause people to isolate themselves from social life. It can have more dire consequences such as the affected person killing the people around him who stop him from using the Internet, dying due to lack of sleep or simply obesity as they lack physical activities.An example would be a South Korean couple that let their three-month old child starve to death after raising their virtual daughter on the online website Prius. They had not realised the consequences of such an action until they saw their daughter dead sometime in September 2009.
This shows that Internet can cause less interaction between the family and how it can make even parents to become void of love such that they killed their child. Such murders will cause our society to worsen and the fact that people feel that their world is within the computer is even more worrying.On the other hand, these are isolated cases and cannot be taken as a representative of the whole community. There are also cases where old school friends meet through Facebook and maintain a closer friendship as they relish their moments together by uploading pictures that hold memories. In conclusion, Internet can be a boon only if it is used with discretion .
It has to be utilized with a balance so that the society need not face many problems which cannot be easily solved.
