Blog 13- The internets effects on society.

Although we live in the technology age I think society should know the upsides and the downsides of the internet and all its capabilities. The internet is continuing to change and improve and some of the examples of what has helped the internet to change include that the PC has become common in households, the development of high-speed digital connections, communication via satellite, as well as the increase use of the internet by business, organizations, and/or the general public. With all these advancements in the internet are many downsides and some may wonder if many cases it may be doing more harm then good. Our society has grown to depend on the internet in so many ways. It is already changing the way we bank, work, shop, and even the way we live.

I know as a college student I am forced to use the internet inside and outside of the class room, whether it’s to print notes from online, an online course, research, or even this blog. The internet is a must and there is no way around it. Although in the college setting the internet is very beneficiary, with all the information available plagiarism has become a bigger problem. For children and young teens some may wonder whether they spend too much time on the internet. As well as what they are exposed to. Respondents from a UCLA study agreed that children are exposed to a lot of inappropriate material on the Net (Net does not impact society negatively).This is why many parents have a parental block, protecting their kid from material of sexual or violent nature, language that is rude and the advertising of children’s products. According to the same UCLA study, many parents had no problem with their children using the internet, as well as it didn’t affect the amount of time family bonding time, the amount of time children spend with their friends, or their children's grades. The major upside to children using the internet is the educational games and programs readily available.

I know many have wondered how the internet has effected communication. Do those who use the internet lose the ability to interact and communicate person to person or do they benefit by interacting over the internet? If you look at it from each point of view a person may be less personable over the internet but on the upside with social network sites a person can interact and meet more people. Electronic mail is one thing many of us could not live without, especially since there is an estimated 1.1 billion e-mail users worldwide and approximately 171 million e-mails sent per day (Fun fact). With social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook, in many cases have helped improve communication skills. I used MySpace and Facebook not as a way to meet new people but as a way to keep in contact with family members, as well as old friends. The internet has allowed me to stay connected. The online social networking sites allow the feeling of community and “without communication there can be no action to organize social relations” (J. Fernback & B. Thompson).

The internet has made research and the availability of information for all so much easier. We can find almost anything online. In many cases this has caused a problem with copy right laws, which are designed to regulate how many times information or an idea is used (Copyright). Many internet users have committed copyright infringement, a violation of copyright, or simply using someone else’s work without permission. In many cases committed copyright infringement involves music. Music down loaders use P2P or peer-to-peer file-sharing programs such as Kazaa, Limewire, iMesh, Morpheus, and BearShare which is illegal. With the crimes committed towards music, many peer-to-peer file-sharing programs have adopted change, by just charging a monthly fee but still allowing music downloading.

Not only has copyright become a huge issue, identity theft has as well. Internet users are able to find out so much with just a little research and a couple clicks. Identity theft is known as a catch-all term for crimes involving illegal usage of another individual's identity Individuals need and should have the opportunity to decide and control what personal information about their lives or personal affairs is in public view (Wikipedia). It seems to be that in today’s world of computers and the Internet people are more willing to give up their privacy or simply less careful. Since the development of the internet, all our stepped can be traced and what privacy we have is at its limit.

As much as we accepted the internet for all it’s worth it’s hard to look past its downfalls. The internet has helped in so many ways and will continue to improve and make our lives that much easier. Individuals themselves need to choose what is right, either by places a parental block on young children’s computer or by protecting their privacy better. The internet is here, and it is here to stay.

J. Fernback & B. Thompson. Virtual Communities: Abort, Retry, Failure?