Love it or Hate it – The Internet is Here to Stay

Sometimes, when I listen to some young people talking, I wonder how they would ever manage if the internet was suddenly spirited away and they had to learn to live without it. My generation grew up without the benefit of the internet – or even computers. The highlight of young people’s social lives then revolved around getting together in each others’ homes, listening to music together and chatting. While I certainly don’t advocate returning to those days [I enjoy the internet as much as anybody, despite my generation] – the internet, blessing or pain does need to be carefully monitored to ensure that only appropriate data is accessed by the most vulnerable people.

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Social networking is an excellent example where the internet can be both blessing and pain. There are two widely differing points of view here: that social networking encourages isolation by replacing real life interaction while the other view makes the case for maintaining friendships and promoting friendships – making the world smaller, in fact. Either way, used in moderation, social networking sites can be excellent ways of getting to know other people and how other people around the world live their lives, thereby reducing racial tensions and promoting harmony amongst people whose lives are widely diverse.

One argument that is put forward in favor of social networking is that it enhances people’s social skills, making it easier in the real world to make friends with others when face-to-face. Following on with this train of thought, the internet has spawned the email which also helps us keep in touch with distant family and friends. This is great if, like me, your family is spread around the globe. So, from that perspective, the internet really is a blessing rather than a pain – it is so much easier and quicker to make contact.

When it comes to researching and study skills, the internet is invaluable although you do have to carefully sift through to obtain the most credible information. It can be argued that students should learn the value and skill of library research and that the facility for library research could be lost as the result of the internet. Personally, having studied for my degree without the aid of the internet, I feel there is a valid place for both kinds of research and students should still be encouraged to make use of both resources. The internet has a valuable place for today’s students as higher education has evolved along with everything else: the internet has made it easier for young people today to express themselves through forums and blogs. Blessing or pain, the internet has enabled individual thought and expression to be widely and openly disseminated – and that can only lead to a future where tolerance is the uppermost concept.

The internet has revolutionized the way we do business, in just about every area of life we can think of. Office life is totally different to how it was prior to the internet, not to mention ATMs, parking meters and traffic control systems. There are so many advantages to the internet that they are difficult to calibrate: there are probably almost as many problems detracting from its usefulness. One thing I do know, however, blessing or pain – the internet is here to stay!