Being part of the Millenial generation, I have been fortunate enough to grow up during the period in which we have experienced significant technological change. As I was growing up, so was the internet, cell phones, and things of that nature. I still remember getting a Facebook right before my freshman year of high school, and while Facebook had been in existence for about two and a half years, this was when it was mainly just high school and college kids using it. It's amazing for me to think that I've now had Facebook for almost seven years now, and see how it has gone from a social site for high school/college kids to a worldwide phenomena that even grandparents are using now. This is just one example of the impact the internet has connected the world and impacted our society.
So then, how has the internet affected our society? Curran aims to explore this in Misunderstanding the Internet. I found the opening paragraphs particularly interesting as he stated some of the things people were saying in the 1990's about how the internet was going to change society. It would completely revolutionize society, bring wealth to masses of people, and ruin all other forms of media. Sitting here 20 years later, we now know that it did not have all the dramatic effects that people predicted, but nonetheless it has changed our world in many ways. From bringing a voice to millions of people, changing the way business operate and advertise their products, and supplementing many different vices of society, the internet has brought changes, for better and for worse.
One important thing it has done is help to level the playing field between small business and large corporations. Before the internet, when television was the main source of visual advertising, only larger companies could afford to pay for commercials to advertise. Now with the internet, small business can market their products through online advertising, but also create a website for customers to find their information. Even the smallest of businesses, like China Jade, a Chinese restaurant near school, has a website. And even more than that, customers can order food directly from the site without even calling! The Internet provides an incredible format for businesses to expand their brand and make themselves better. Now, as Osmond Vitez notes in this article about the internet's impact on business, the internet is not an end-all, be-all thing for businesses, but without question it has helped businesses grow their organizations.
Like anything though, the internet is a tool in the hands of the user, and it can be used for bad just as much as good. Cyber bullying continues to be a big issue and because people are able to hide behind the computer and not be held accountable for what they say, we see racism, sexism, and things of that nature on places like Twitter and YouTube. Go on any popular YouTube video and look at the comments section; more likely than not you will see arguments between people that involve language you wouldn't want your mom to hear. So in the end, the internet can be a source for good, and a source for bad. I personally think the good outweighs the bad due to the amazing amount of information available at our finger tips and the connectivity it has brought; however, it is important to note that the internet is a powerful tool, and we need to be conscious of the way we use it.
Yep, I definitely agree with your post. This seems like the view of most people nowadays. The internet is a tool that can be used at will and depending on how we use it, it can benefit us or bring harm to us. In class we often discuss exactly what the internet means for us and does for us. The internet seems as though it takes thoughts, ideas, etc, and magnifies them. A simple post become public and could be seen by the wold, a shy person can find a voice. In many ways, I also believe the good outweighs the bad. On the other hand, it's almost impossible to escape the internet. Because we use it for everything, e-mails, pictures, videos, information, etc., its hard for one to be completely removed from it. E-mail is necessary to get a job, a bank account, and anything important really. Once your e-mail is online, its easy for anyone to track you. Last class, we discussed the facebook app that allows people to see your history on facebook but with a little computer know-how, that info is already available. At times, even the potential for good and the potential for bad are at odds with each other.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with you that the good does outweigh the bad for the way the internet has changed and progressed over the years. As you said, the use of the internet really does depend on the user, and while some people can abuse the privileges of the internet, the same can be said about any form of technology or invention in society today. If anything, the internet does help to facilitate the productive process of many companies as it does do a major part in advertising. The fact that companies and people can now create their own websites, as well as advertise on other websites, allows for the widespread of progress to keep our market flourishing and further encourage people to boost the economy. Additionally the ability to now purchase items online also helps to increase the market value of technology, serving as a convenience to the public to improve the way business is done. While technology has its downfall, it has overall benefited our society by means of communication, production, etc.
ReplyDeleteI definitely agree with your post. The part I found really interesting was the good versus bad argument about the internet. I agree that the good outweighs the bad, but are there things that are harming us that we do not know are bad for us? The other day a girl asked me what day is Easter on this year, I immediately went to google to look it up where as my 50 year old co-worker went to go find an actual calendar. I found the date first and my co-worker laughed and said that's what the problem is with your generation, you rely on your phone and the internet for everything. In my eyes I saw it as normal and I found the date first so it seemed like what I did was good, but maybe the change of how I and a lot of us think is in fact hurting us in some way. I know this is a really strange and obscure example, but it was just the idea that what if some day we realize that we are actually declining as a society and we did not even know it.
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