Sep 11, 2006
Increasing impact of Internet on our life
Few technologies could match up with the rapid speed with which the Internet has made inroads into ordinary lives. In a little over the 15 years
“…there are more than 300 million adults connected to the Web throughout the world.” While in United States 69% of the adult, above 18, population has already accessed the Internet at least once, in Brazil only 30% have done so and only 7% are regular users. Even so, Brazil is now in 10th place on the frequent users list. Internet has sure come a long way from the days when it was a US defence network and later a network connecting mainframes at four major universities of the US. As stated above, it today connects 300 million people. What do people do on this information highway? Do we actually need so much information? Well, the word information superhighway is a misnomer is a limited sense. Its not only an encyclopaedia anymore. The net has grown much more then that. That, in fact, is now only one part of the plethora of uses it can be put to. Lets see what men and women around the globe use the net for, how exactly it influences our lives and what exactly makes it so indispensable for us today? Internet is multifaceted in every sense. While for some it is serious work- ask the various dot-commers who clock double digit hours everyday to mint some money out of it. On the other hand it also provides a tremendous place for relaxing and soothing your nerves after a hard days work. You are always just few clicks away from nerve soothing panoramic views of the scenic alps or the exotic scuba diving experience. For a whole bunch of people, internet is nothing but serious fun. They are the zealous gamers for whom net is the ultimate playground. Choose your game and choose your enemy, the battleflied however remains the same. The virtual terrains of cyberspace. However what can truly be called the most popular and the most integral part of the web is Communication. It started with the web based mail. Popularly called the email. Such is the popularity of the medium today, that many feel the postal departments are becoming increasingly redundant. What gave first zing to internet communication was the evolution of Instant Messengers, popularly called as the IM. If you are web user, or know even know something about it, chances are meagre that you haven’t heard of Yahoo messenger, or any of its brothers. Yahoo, google, aol, msn, all have chat appalets of their own. These have given another dimension to the way people communicate. What however gave the first spark to communication, giving a jolt to the Telephone industry was the development of VoIP. Voice over internet protocol. As a technology it allows users to make calls, pc to pc, at amazingly low prices. Skype, yahoo voice and skype all provide the service – which has been a rage owing to the cost effectiveness it offers. Synonym with internet is the easy access to information. Online reference books and dictionaries replace the way to the bookshop or to the library. It is again cheaper to search for information in the internet than to buy a book, that is old after one year. In the internet a lot of information is renewed and up to date. You can also find information which is very new and a book does not exist yet. Moreover you can read the daily newspapers from all over the world, sometimes for free. You do not have to buy them anymore. In addition, most newspaper sites have an archive in which you can search for old articles. However, the internet is also a big “advertising company”. A lot of enterprises have a homepage with ads and support opportunities. On some of them you can order products online. Then you do not have to go to the city anymore. You avoid waiting in front of the cash because of a long queue. E-commerce, allows you to do your shopping, from weekly groceries to exquisite pieces of handycrafts. They are all within reach and just a click away. Internet has facilitated our lives in ways unimaginable. It has made lives easier on one side, while as always- it has another side to it too. One of the most negative aspects of the impact of the internet on our daily life is, in my opinion, that it alters the social behaviour, habits and abilities of people. Especially children are often badly influenced by the internet.
“…there are more than 300 million adults connected to the Web throughout the world.” While in United States 69% of the adult, above 18, population has already accessed the Internet at least once, in Brazil only 30% have done so and only 7% are regular users. Even so, Brazil is now in 10th place on the frequent users list. Internet has sure come a long way from the days when it was a US defence network and later a network connecting mainframes at four major universities of the US. As stated above, it today connects 300 million people. What do people do on this information highway? Do we actually need so much information? Well, the word information superhighway is a misnomer is a limited sense. Its not only an encyclopaedia anymore. The net has grown much more then that. That, in fact, is now only one part of the plethora of uses it can be put to. Lets see what men and women around the globe use the net for, how exactly it influences our lives and what exactly makes it so indispensable for us today? Internet is multifaceted in every sense. While for some it is serious work- ask the various dot-commers who clock double digit hours everyday to mint some money out of it. On the other hand it also provides a tremendous place for relaxing and soothing your nerves after a hard days work. You are always just few clicks away from nerve soothing panoramic views of the scenic alps or the exotic scuba diving experience. For a whole bunch of people, internet is nothing but serious fun. They are the zealous gamers for whom net is the ultimate playground. Choose your game and choose your enemy, the battleflied however remains the same. The virtual terrains of cyberspace. However what can truly be called the most popular and the most integral part of the web is Communication. It started with the web based mail. Popularly called the email. Such is the popularity of the medium today, that many feel the postal departments are becoming increasingly redundant. What gave first zing to internet communication was the evolution of Instant Messengers, popularly called as the IM. If you are web user, or know even know something about it, chances are meagre that you haven’t heard of Yahoo messenger, or any of its brothers. Yahoo, google, aol, msn, all have chat appalets of their own. These have given another dimension to the way people communicate. What however gave the first spark to communication, giving a jolt to the Telephone industry was the development of VoIP. Voice over internet protocol. As a technology it allows users to make calls, pc to pc, at amazingly low prices. Skype, yahoo voice and skype all provide the service – which has been a rage owing to the cost effectiveness it offers. Synonym with internet is the easy access to information. Online reference books and dictionaries replace the way to the bookshop or to the library. It is again cheaper to search for information in the internet than to buy a book, that is old after one year. In the internet a lot of information is renewed and up to date. You can also find information which is very new and a book does not exist yet. Moreover you can read the daily newspapers from all over the world, sometimes for free. You do not have to buy them anymore. In addition, most newspaper sites have an archive in which you can search for old articles. However, the internet is also a big “advertising company”. A lot of enterprises have a homepage with ads and support opportunities. On some of them you can order products online. Then you do not have to go to the city anymore. You avoid waiting in front of the cash because of a long queue. E-commerce, allows you to do your shopping, from weekly groceries to exquisite pieces of handycrafts. They are all within reach and just a click away. Internet has facilitated our lives in ways unimaginable. It has made lives easier on one side, while as always- it has another side to it too. One of the most negative aspects of the impact of the internet on our daily life is, in my opinion, that it alters the social behaviour, habits and abilities of people. Especially children are often badly influenced by the internet.
It can be the obscene content to which hey are exposed to, or the socially isolated atmosphere that it addicts to. Children end up being more comfortable with their computer screens than with humans. This some sociologists say is an alarming trend and needs attention.
One Comment, Comment or Ping
Silverwood
I believe that we as the wider worldly community have only just scratched the surface of the World Wide Wedbiverse’s potential.
May 14th, 2007
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