Do The Influence of The Internet Do More Harm Than Good?
Introduction
The internet has emerged as one of the most important aspects of our lives today, and it is generally considered to be irreplaceable by a lot of people. People regularly visit websites on their phones and computers in order to check their mails, communicate with others and keep up with current events. Most youths, at least those below 25 years old, can be said to have grown with the internet.
The impacts of the internet, both positive and negative, are wide and varied , but both of these attributes can be classified into three categories which include social, economic and educational impacts.These categories generally cover most of the positive and negative impacts, but first we shall look at the positive impacts that can be found in these three broad categories.
Positive Social Impact
The positive social impact is mainly associated with societal values and views and how the internet contributes to the enhancement and promotion of these values. The positive social impacts include the following:
Freedom of Expression
The internet perhaps provides the most open platform where anyone can say and write whatever he or she feels without being denied the right to do so. Although some websites nowadays have administrators who monitor sites to ensure that nothing slanderous or vulgar appears on their sites, people still get to express their feelings openly and freely through writing. The internet has proved to be slippery and huge enough to avoid being controlled by authorities and governments worldwide with the exception of a few countries like China. Unlike other media like newspapers,radio and television the internet is extremely difficult to controll and manipulate.
Social Cohesion
Through the internet the world has been transformed into a global village. People from the farthest corners of the globe can converge and relate at one place: the internet. The world is composed of different people with diverse cultures and practices, and these people can be able to communicate, relate and share views by using the internet. It is very common nowadays for people to become friends on the internet, and you can find someone from Kenya having friends in the United States who he/she has never met but relates with comfortably. Social networking sites like facebook are the key catalysts of this phenomenon, and after meeting people on the internet it is much more easier to relate with them when you meet them face to face.
Socio-political Change
Political leaders have embraced the internet and it is now common to see politicians selling themselves to the electorate using the internet via social networking sites and websites. A perfect example is the 2008 US presidential elections in which Barack Obama used the internet to build a massive voter block that was key in elevating him to the presidency. Apart from political advantage, politicians and other people use the internet to preach positive and enlightening messages that are important in fostering change in the society and advocating for better social and cultural lives for all people.
Positive Economic (Business) Impact.
The internet has become a vital tool for driving economic change and this is visible through the following ways:
Online Marketing and Shopping (E-commerce)
Many organizations have realized the impact the internet could have on their commercial growth and their relation with customers and have therefore embraced the internet as a marketing and PR tool. Currently a lot of businesses have established online presence where they sell and market their products and services. For instance, number of internet users in the USA was over 300 million in the year 2000, and this figure was projected to rise to 1 billion by 2005. Online marketing and shopping accounted for a third of the USA’s economic growth in 1996-1999 and this figure has risen dramatically over the years.
Employee Development and Recruitment.
The internet has millions of sources of information that can be used by organizations to improve and enhance the skills and capabilities of their employees. An organization’s success is usually measured by the level of competency of its workers. Organizations encourage their employees to use the internet to develop professionally through online learning. Apart from this, companies can save a lot of time and resources by conducting recruitment and staffing online. This lowers the overall financial cost of staffing considerably.
Online Utility Services
It is much easier to pay bills today by using the internet. It is more convenient for customers to access services and use them without any hassles. The emergence of services like online banking, and the presence of service providers online has saved clients time since they do not have to stand in long queues to access services.
Positive Educational Impact
The internet has had improved the educational prospects of a lot of people in the society through the following ways:
Distance Learning
It is possible for one to earn a degree or diploma from accredited institutions by studying online. You do not have to visit colleges or universities physically in order to learn, and this has saved a lot of people time and money.
Improved Literacy
The internet has improved the literacy levels of a majority of people by enabling them to learn how to read and write. Most people think it is impossible to learn how to read and write online but it is possible. Searching anything on the internet will bring you results and in case you type the wrong spelling it will let you know and give you the correct one. At the same time, there are tutorials that help people to learn pronunciations and spellings on the internet.
Negative Social Impact
Social Ills and Corruption of Minds.
Since it is difficult to regulate internet use a lot of kids are exposed to things that their minds are unable to comprehend. The internet is a source of pornography, violent and sometimes gross content that corrupts the minds of young children. Exposure to these content at young ages leads to development of deviant behavior later in life, for example addiction to pornography and aggressive behaviour. It is worth noting that these tendencies can develop in adults as well but children are the most vulnerable.
Poor Interpersonal Skills and Social Inactivity
It has been established that long exposure to the internet makes people’s social skills to be suppressed and they therefore prefer to use the internet rather than interact with other people. Their social lives tend to be boring and they are generally poor communicators.
Negative Economic Impact
Cyber Crime
The internet is a place where a lot of criminal activities take place, and a majority of people do not even know it until they are affected by those criminal activities. Identity theft, online piracy and internet scams are just some examples of the security risks brought about by the internet. These things result in the government and businesses losing of billions of dollars every year, money which can be spent on other constructive activities.
Economic Subversion, Hacking and Spying
The internet has been used as a weapon by several countries, being deployed in cyber wars in order to obtain economic and security secrets. China has for a long time been accused of hacking into databases of other countries and stealing economic, commercial and security secrets and using that information to develop gain unfair advantages.
Negative Educational Impact
Redundancy
Although the internet can be used to improve literacy and educational prospects, it also stifles learning by damaging the learning skills of people, mostly those who use social networking sites. Writing is the most common victim as most words are abbreviated and used so often that some people find it difficult to do write formal sentences or words and as a result develop poor writing skills.
Conclusion
In conclusion we can say that the benefits of the internet outway its disadvantages and it is important for people to find ways of reducing the negative.
References
Hughes, Carol. The Link Between Internet Use and Social Inactivity in College. California: White House Press, 1999.
Wolak, Finkelhor and Mitchell.Children’s Exposure To Negative Internet Content. Honolulu: Nighthawk, 2007.
“Advantages and Disadvantages of The Internet.” CNN.com. Cable News Network and Reuters, 19 Aug. 1998. Web. 28 Apr. 2008. [Optional:] <http://www.cnn.com/US/9808/19/barnicle>.
Reed, Samuel. “The Internet and Business; What Online Presence Can Do For Your Business .” Tennessee Tribune 25 Dec. 1996: 28. CD-ROM. Ethnic NewsWatch. Data Technologies. Feb. 1997.
Mardina, Sarah. The Future of Internet Marketing and Its Economic Benefits. London: Randall Press, 2005.
