Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history
of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. But
usually, greater magnitude of advantages outweighs its disadvantages. During his evolutionary journey
from Neanderthal to Homo erectus and then to Homo sapiens, man has come a long way. Because
of his continuous quest for more and more amenities and facilities, he has been able to invent many
new things. The nineties have seen a major turn around with the invention of computers. Until, a few
years back, the term Internet was practically anonymous to most of the people. But today, Internet has
become the most powerful communication tool for people throughout the world. With the advent of
Internet, our earth has virtually reduced and has attained the form of a global village.
Internet is defined as a collection of various services and resources. Although, many people still think
e-mail and World Wide Web as the principle constituents of Internet, there is a lot more in store than
e-mail, chat rooms, celebrity web sites and search engines. It has also become the best business tool
in the modern scenario. Today, Internet has brought a globe in a single room. Right from getting news
across the corner of the world to accessing knowledge resources to shopping, everything is at your
fingertips. Internet has tremendous potential and a lot to offer in terms of services. However, like every
single innovation in science and technology, Internet has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Faster Communication
The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has excelled way beyond
the expectations. Newer innovations are only going to make it faster and more reliable. Now, you can
communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. For
more personal and interactive communication, you can avail the facilities of chat services, video
conferencing and so on. Besides, there are plenty of messenger services in offering. With the help of
such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your
thoughts and explore other cultures.
Information Resources
Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is a virtual treasure trove of
information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search
engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. There is a huge amount of information
available on the Internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and
services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is
simply endless.
Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost
required that students should use it for research or the purpose of gathering resources. Even teachers
have started giving assignments that require extensive research on the Internet. Besides, you can have
an access to latest researches in the field of medicine, technology and so on. Numerous web sites such
as America's Doctor also allow you to talk to the doctors online.
Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'être why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, the
Internet has become quite successful in trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading
games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. Even
celebrities are using the Internet effectively for promotional campaigns. Besides, there are numerous
games that can be downloaded for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and
phenomenal attention by game lovers.
Social Networking
One cannot imagine an online life without Facebook or Twitter. Social networking has become so
popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great
medium to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding long-lost friends,
you can also look for job, business opportunities on forums, communities etc. Besides, there are chat
rooms where users can meet new and interesting people. Some of them may even end up finding their
life partners.
Online Services
The Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all
your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc.,
right from your home. Some travel websites even plan an Itinerary as per your preferences and take
care of airline tickets, hotel reservations etc.
e-commerce
The concept of e-commerce is used for any type of commercial maneuvering or business deals that
involves the transfer of information across the globe via the Internet. It has become a phenomenon
associated with any kind of shopping, business deal etc. You name a service, and e-commerce with its
giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make it available at your doorstep.
Websites such as eBay allow you to even bid for homes, buy, sell or auction stuff online.
Theft of Personal Information
If you use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, you may risk a theft to
your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. Unscrupulous people can
access this information through unsecured connections or by planting software and then use your
personal details for their benefit. Needless to say, this may land you in serious trouble.
Spamming
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly
obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you as it makes your Internet
slower and less reliable.
Virus Threat
Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus programs are inconspicuous and
may get activated if you click a seemingly harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very
prone to targeted virus attacks and may end up crashing.
Pornography
Pornography is perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Internet. Internet allows you to access and
download millions of pornographic photos, videos and other X-rated stuff. Such unrestricted access to
porn can be detrimental for children and teenagers. It can even play a havoc in marital and social lives of
adults.
Social Disconnect
Thanks to the Internet, people now only meet on social networks. More and more people are getting
engulfed in virtual world and drifting apart from their friends and family. Even children prefer to play
online games rather than going out and mingling with other kids. This may hamper a healthy social
development in children.
Thus, the Internet has the potential to make your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak havoc in
your life. Its influence is mostly dictated by the choices you make while you are online. With clever use,
you can manage to harness its unlimited potential.
of mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. But
usually, greater magnitude of advantages outweighs its disadvantages. During his evolutionary journey
from Neanderthal to Homo erectus and then to Homo sapiens, man has come a long way. Because
of his continuous quest for more and more amenities and facilities, he has been able to invent many
new things. The nineties have seen a major turn around with the invention of computers. Until, a few
years back, the term Internet was practically anonymous to most of the people. But today, Internet has
become the most powerful communication tool for people throughout the world. With the advent of
Internet, our earth has virtually reduced and has attained the form of a global village.
Internet is defined as a collection of various services and resources. Although, many people still think
e-mail and World Wide Web as the principle constituents of Internet, there is a lot more in store than
e-mail, chat rooms, celebrity web sites and search engines. It has also become the best business tool
in the modern scenario. Today, Internet has brought a globe in a single room. Right from getting news
across the corner of the world to accessing knowledge resources to shopping, everything is at your
fingertips. Internet has tremendous potential and a lot to offer in terms of services. However, like every
single innovation in science and technology, Internet has its own advantages and disadvantages.
Faster Communication
The foremost target of Internet has always been speedy communication and it has excelled way beyond
the expectations. Newer innovations are only going to make it faster and more reliable. Now, you can
communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of the world. For
more personal and interactive communication, you can avail the facilities of chat services, video
conferencing and so on. Besides, there are plenty of messenger services in offering. With the help of
such services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share your
thoughts and explore other cultures.
Information Resources
Information is probably the biggest advantage that Internet offers. Internet is a virtual treasure trove of
information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The search
engines like Google, Yahoo are at your service on the Internet. There is a huge amount of information
available on the Internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging from government law and
services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support, the list is
simply endless.
Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is almost
required that students should use it for research or the purpose of gathering resources. Even teachers
have started giving assignments that require extensive research on the Internet. Besides, you can have
an access to latest researches in the field of medicine, technology and so on. Numerous web sites such
as America's Doctor also allow you to talk to the doctors online.
Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'être why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact, the
Internet has become quite successful in trapping the multifaceted entertainment industry. Downloading
games or just surfing the celebrity websites are some of the uses people have discovered. Even
celebrities are using the Internet effectively for promotional campaigns. Besides, there are numerous
games that can be downloaded for free. The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and
phenomenal attention by game lovers.
Social Networking
One cannot imagine an online life without Facebook or Twitter. Social networking has become so
popular amongst youth that it might one day replace physical networking. It has evolved as a great
medium to connect with millions of people with similar interests. Apart from finding long-lost friends,
you can also look for job, business opportunities on forums, communities etc. Besides, there are chat
rooms where users can meet new and interesting people. Some of them may even end up finding their
life partners.
Online Services
The Internet has made life very convenient. With numerous online services you can now perform all
your transactions online. You can book tickets for a movie, transfer funds, pay utility bills, taxes etc.,
right from your home. Some travel websites even plan an Itinerary as per your preferences and take
care of airline tickets, hotel reservations etc.
e-commerce
The concept of e-commerce is used for any type of commercial maneuvering or business deals that
involves the transfer of information across the globe via the Internet. It has become a phenomenon
associated with any kind of shopping, business deal etc. You name a service, and e-commerce with its
giant tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make it available at your doorstep.
Websites such as eBay allow you to even bid for homes, buy, sell or auction stuff online.
Theft of Personal Information
If you use the Internet for online banking, social networking or other services, you may risk a theft to
your personal information such as name, address, credit card number etc. Unscrupulous people can
access this information through unsecured connections or by planting software and then use your
personal details for their benefit. Needless to say, this may land you in serious trouble.
Spamming
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly
obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you as it makes your Internet
slower and less reliable.
Virus Threat
Internet users are often plagued by virus attacks on their systems. Virus programs are inconspicuous and
may get activated if you click a seemingly harmless link. Computers connected to the Internet are very
prone to targeted virus attacks and may end up crashing.
Pornography
Pornography is perhaps the biggest disadvantage of the Internet. Internet allows you to access and
download millions of pornographic photos, videos and other X-rated stuff. Such unrestricted access to
porn can be detrimental for children and teenagers. It can even play a havoc in marital and social lives of
adults.
Social Disconnect
Thanks to the Internet, people now only meet on social networks. More and more people are getting
engulfed in virtual world and drifting apart from their friends and family. Even children prefer to play
online games rather than going out and mingling with other kids. This may hamper a healthy social
development in children.
Thus, the Internet has the potential to make your life simple and convenient, as well as wreak havoc in
your life. Its influence is mostly dictated by the choices you make while you are online. With clever use,
you can manage to harness its unlimited potential.
