Impacts of the
Internet on modern day society
Social impact
Individual:
The impact
the internet has had on us socially is pretty terrible if we do a pros and cons
list.
Every day there is millions of people doing what a big majority call “time
wasting” computer gaming or browsing certain web pages, I believe everyone has
their own right to decide what they do with their free time but in some ways I
do really agree that our lives have been completely consumed by the internet.
It does seem
that these days the government, employers, friends, everyone seems to need you
to go on the internet for some reason. Whether it is to check the news, weather
or even what time the cinema viewings are on, everything eventually links back
to requiring the internet. Obviously you can still do things in real life, such
as applying for a job but it almost seems as if they prefer internet
applications these days to show that you have some moderate understanding of
computer technology.
Sometimes I
recognize awkward behavior in real life conversations and it makes me think
about how online messaging sites such as Facebook are making it harder and
harder for people to connect and communicate in the real world efficiently.
Society:
In recent
years society has certainly slipped with your everyday in person appliances.
Traditional shops in villages, even high streets have been affected with the
cutbacks.
The internet
provides reliable fast information and messaging services, it is no surprise
that the online shopping is taking over with everything getting easier as it is
right now. We no longer even need to travel to the bank in person since the
release of online banking.
Many people
have lost their jobs in a result of the internet being so applicable and easy
to use. Businesses have started to use programs and online web servers to do
many of the jobs that we as humans used to partake in are no longer a necessity
to keep your business running.
Since the
internet’s release there has been a vast decrease in how the community comes
together to help one another. Social media and messaging websites are
dominating the way we communicate with each other, I won’t necessarily say it’s
a bad thing; new communities have sprung up online but this also brings a risk
of abuse from individuals with more ulterior motives.
Economic Impact
Employment:
There has
been a substantial decrease in jobs since computer technology has started to
increase into the modern era; jobs that have been done by hand for many years
have been relinquished from the employees in favor of new more accurate
machines run by computer networks.
On the other
hand there has been a new market for jobs that require top of the line IT
technicians such as a network administrator or a graphic designer.
Environment & sustainability:
Since the
internet went live there has been a vast increase in how many people use
computers, in the millions to be precise.
Things such
as going to the shops to buy your produce instead of ordering it online or
going out to a park for the day instead of playing computer games could not
only save yourself some time and electric but it would also help your carbon
footprint not to mention help you be more healthy in your everyday life.
I don’t
believe at the rate we’re going that we will be able to sustain everything we
have achieved as humans for much longer. Some alternate energy source must be
found to continue on with how we’re doing right now.
Legal impact
The internet
has had massive drawbacks on society as the majority of people now just
plagiarize work and illegally download songs for free. As a society we have
grown lazy and turn to the internet for our answers.
This is
especially hard on the people who take time to create music, films and so forth
as people committing copyright acts by downloading them via the internet for
free; such as led to music artists not releasing new albums and film directors
cancelling sequels to films that had the potential to be great. A good example
of this is the film series called ‘Ninja’ by Scott Adkins where he stated that
due to online pirating there will be no sequel because there won’t be enough
funds to invest into making one.
This affects
the true fans that have support the official releases. We are robbed from
sequels due to copyright offenses.
Ethic impact
Since the
release of the internet there has been a strain on the Data protection act or
DPA for short. Various crimes get committed which puts other people’s privacy
at risk.
Social
messaging sites such as Facebook put people at risk, by listing various types
of information that has no real relevance predators are able to find common interests
and approach people who are unexpectedly walking straight into a trap.
Obviously
there is ways to change your privacy settings to make it so strangers cannot
see your details but for the younger more inexperienced internet users they may
overlook this fact and be putting themselves at risk.
Access
In England
we have access to roam the internet free as a bird to some degree, obviously
abusive and other selected sites may be banned; on the other hand in countries
such as China or North Korea the internet is limited and the media is
controlled.
As far as
North Korea is concerned there are reportedly only a handful of people with
authorised access to the internet.
Such acts of
inequality are well within the rights of each government but I think that
everyone should be allowed the right to surf the internet with freedom at their
own digression.
Conclusion
To conclude, including threats, I would say that the internet has opened up our
world to many wondrous things. We have fast high quality video streaming and sales
websites but was it worth all the added baggage that comes along with it? In my
opinion yes, all we have to do is manage how we use the internet to make it
safe and efficient but that’s for you to decide on your own.