With just a few presses of a button, you can instantly talk to your friends or family from anywhere in the world. Additionally, getting access to information would require you to put in a query in various search engines, and you’ll get millions of answers in a couple of seconds. You also don’t need to leave your house anymore because you can order pretty much anything online.
However, it comes with no surprise that this convenience also comes with risks and dangers. Whenever you access the internet, you expose yourself to countless cyber threats looking to harm you or use your information for criminal purposes. This brings forth the question of whether the internet is really good for us.
The Advantages
First, let’s discuss how the internet has been good to us. This is probably one of the best and most powerful innovations we’ve made over the last century, and the entire world is currently revolving around this powerful tool. While the benefits of the internet are unending, here are its most notable advantages.
Connectivity and Information Sharing
Gone are the days when a letter sent to you would take days or weeks before it reaches you. Anything you want to say to someone is now just a few seconds away because of connectivity. Furthermore, the ability to share information through the world wide web has allowed us to reach thousands or millions of people in an instant.
Selling and Making Money
It has also become extremely easier for us to make money because of the internet. In the past, we had to gather clients or put out advertisements in local newspapers and magazines before we grow our business. However, with SG companies that focus on digital marketing, we can reach a wider market to sell our products or services.
Entertainment
People used to play outside for entertainment. Nowadays, you could stay in the comfort of your own home and watch countless videos on some of the best video-sharing online platforms to relax and unwind.
Storage
With almost everything going digital, you want to make sure that your important files and documents are kept properly. Thankfully, you don’t need to clear out an entire shelf for that. Multiple cloud-based storage services allow you to keep and access your precious photographs, videos, and files.
The Disadvantages
With every great invention comes a few disadvantages as well. Even though the internet has provided us with all the good things that made our life easier, it has also become a disadvantage to some degree.
Distraction
While watching videos, playing games, and communicating online provide us with the entertainment we need, we sometimes spend too much time on them. Because of these distractions, it can be harder for us to focus on what we need to do.
Violent/Malicious Content
With the thousands of websites that allow you to share files online with everyone, it’s also quite difficult for us to filter the things we see. That’s why you often find unwanted content such as violent videos or malicious images whenever you use the internet.
Cyber Threats
As we’ve mentioned earlier, using the internet means you are exposed to different criminal activities circulating online. This includes identity theft, cheating, hacking, or viruses. If you are not vigilant every time you go online, it would be easier to suffer from these cyber threats.
Internet Privacy Laws
While some concerns about internet usage might only be solved by being disciplined, some disadvantages require the law’s help. Thankfully, the government has made it a point to ensure that we are safe online. Here are some laws about internet privacy.
Federal Trade Commission Act
The first law focuses mainly on companies and organizations that hold the information of their employees. In this law, companies should make it a point to keep their employees’ personal information private.
Computer Fraud & Abuse Act
It is unlawful to use your personal information to commit anything online without your permission. This is why the Computer Fraud & Abuse Act is essential. Anyone who accesses your computer and gathers information about you or anything valuable without you knowing can face years in prison under this law.
Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act
We understand that sometimes, your children may also wish to access the internet for educational and entertainment purposes. That’s why the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act requires websites or service providers to verify parental consent whenever someone under the age of 13 tries to access their website.
There are still many laws surrounding internet usage, and most of them might keep on improving over time. However, it’s important to keep in mind that at the end of the day, the best way to ensure that the internet is used for the right purposes is to monitor how our children or we use it.
