Monday, September 30, 2013

Three Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet


In July 2013, Jayashree Pakhare of buzzle.com explained on the website some advantages and disadvantages of one of our favorite things on Earth; the Internet! I have handpicked three advantages and disadvantages and decided to give my own intake on those advantages and disadvantages where I will be explaining them in my own way.

Some of the advantages of the Internet that Pakhare spoke about were... 
  • Faster communication;
  • How social networking allows you to stay connected with people; and
  • About online services and E-commerce.

The Internet enables faster communication where if you have a strong network connection, you can send and receive instant messages, emails, etc. to friends and family with the simple click of a button.

Social networking are websites that were created such as MySpace, Twitter, and Facebook in which you are granted the choice of making a profile where you choose how much personal information you would like to put out there so that friends can stay connected to you and comment and reply to friends all over the world. Social networking can also be a disadvantage as well. Some people use social networking to pose as someone else and can put things up that can credit or worst, discredit the person they are portraying to be.

Online services and E-commerce is a clear advantage. These services enable you to do things such as online banking. Online banking is clearly an advantage because instead of having to walk or even drive to your local bank that you are banking with, you can check everything you need to know online. To make sure your information is protected, you are given a user name and password that you can sign on with to view your banking history and information.

Some of the advantages of the Internet that Pakhare spoke about were...
  • Theft of personal information
  • Spamming
  • Social disconnect/health issues such as social isolation, obesity, or depression
Theft of personal information is something that happens on the Internet that is very unfortunate. There are many hackers all across the world that is looking for anyone to slip up so that they can steal their information. Most hackers make this happen by spamming.

Spamming happens different ways. Spamming can be sent through emails or eye-catching ads. Through email, spammers send you one and ask you for your personal information by inviting you to something that they think you would like based on websites you frequent. Spammers find a way to figure out your frequent website and probably offer you a ridiculous deal or discount on something they know you would like hoping you would sign up. The same thing happens through ads. Based on websites you frequent, ads will pop-up with ridiculous deals or discounts and will offer you something so they can steal your personal information.

Spending too much time on the computer alone is a very extreme disadvantage. Spending too much time on the computer can make one very dependent of it to the point that is all they do. Instead of doing any physical activity, they spend most of their time behind their desktop or their laptop and it can cause them to become obese. Although social networking is a great idea, for those who depend on it and only talk over social networks can never learn how to really have a real conversation with someone in person. Not feeling accepted in the world can cause depression. If one rather spend his time on the computer as opposed to being on the outside, he/or she can become very depressed.

Works Cited

Pakhare, Jayashree. Buzzle. 10 July 2013. Article. 30 September 2013.

2 comments:

  1. I definitely agree with you when you state that the internet can cause social isolation, depression, or even obesity. The internet contains many cool things such as social media sites, online gaming, online shopping, people can even work from their own home nowadays. When you basically can do everything online, a lot of people are easily becoming addicted and who can blame them? Once you're addicted, this is all that matters and you slowly begin to become isolated from all your friends and family which can easily cause depression.

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  2. I completely agree that it is an issue that people spend some much time sitting alone. This easily causing social issues and have very little benefit. Lonely online addicts loose friends, gain weight, loose ambition and don't achieve goals. This is definitely a disadvantage to the internet and new media as a whole.

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