How the internet has changed our lives
Sixty years ago, there was no internet in the world. Many would wonder how people lived and handled their day-to-day activities, but life was not that bad either. The internet was invented in phases, from transmitting the first message through computers to sharing information to multiple devices at high speeds. In 1967, the United States Department of Defense funded the creation of a prototype that would later be the basis of the internet. The Advanced Research Projects Agency Network (ARPANET) communicated and shared information amongst computers linked to it.
The internet has drastically changed our lives, especially for people born days with no Wi-Fi; you could only listen to music through the radio, buy a tape, and dance with your friends. As if that is not enough, writing down lyrics in books and gather later to sing them. Live matches were narrated on the radio by sports presenters, with a time difference of about two minutes. Mobile games were poor quality 2D pictures, with Snake from Nokia being among the popular ones. People read books as entertainment and research your projects. Here are some of the top positive ways that the internet has changed our lives.
- Fast services
Making long queues to pay bills and deposit or withdraw money in banks was a norm. Long-distance communication was slow as people had to go to post offices to send letters to their friends and family. Advertising your business was hard, and you could only reach a limited number of people. There were no social media groups, so family gatherings were a big part of bonding with your lost cousins and aunties. People bought newspapers to read news and learn fashion trends from.
- Multiple communication channels
Nowadays, the internet has become part of us with faster communication, pre-booking car and plane tickets, information is at our disposal all the time, people don’t need to go to the office to have gone to work, attending online meetings and easy interaction with customers. Advertising and marketing businesses have been made easier. Entertainment has drastically improved, with streaming services offering movies, documentaries, TV shows, kid’s programs, and other forms of audiovisual content. Free spin games and other forms of iGaming are also available for different age groups for entertainment and educational purposes.
- Accessible sports content
The sports world is another realm that the internet has boosted, from channels like ESPN that show sports for twenty-four hours to streaming major league matches. Athletes have a platform to interact with their fans, advertise their endorsements, or create awareness about social issues. Online gaming has improved with numerous establishments available on the wide web with an assortment of games and betting options. People gaming from all corners of the world have a chance to play live against each other thanks to live casino games, VR, and other forms of virtual
- Online shopping
Shopping has become easier as online shopping platforms such as Amazon and eBay can operate without any hassle. You can order anything you need instead of going to stores and stressing about transporting your items. Many businesses are shifting into the online world, making it possible for the general population to acquire goods and services without leaving the comfort of their homes.
Although the internet has had a positive influence on the world, there are some disadvantages. Cyberbullying is a form of harassing others on social media, and other platforms are one of the top concerns for all users. It is mainly because of how they look or due to something embarrassing they did and is an infringement of federal laws. In addition, identity theft is expected on the internet; this is where one steals another person’s identity and uses them without their consent. It can be used to con people related to them or the general public at large.
The internet causes addiction. This is common amongst young people. The youth aged between eighteen to thirty cannot keep their hands off their phones. They are texting their peers, practicing online betting, streaming movies, and other aimless activities. The older people who passed this stage without phones, laptops, televisions, and other electronic devices find this behavior rude but don’t understand it is a form of addiction. They spend too much time surfing the internet and not doing anything productive. This affects one’s focus and self-esteem, leading to many mental issues that affect productivity and can lead to death in extreme cases.
The popularity of pornographic content is another downside of the internet. The virtual scene is no longer safe for children as sites with sexual content have become common and easily accessible. The parental controls cannot keep them off this harmful content at all times. Some sites even contain popup options that lead you to this harmful content with a single tap on the screen. Consumption of pornographic content has detrimental consequences to both adults and children.
Over the years, the internet has gradually transformed into a political weapon influencing voter decisions and pushing agendas to sway popular opinion or reinforce one. Politicians use the internet to cause chaos and spread propaganda during campaigns. They employ propagandists who run accounts on various social media platforms for them. They cause fear through threats and propel the distribution of fake news in an attempt to agenda set and influence the people’s way of thinking. This causes insecurity amongst the citizens of a country as they put their greed for power before the people.
Prolonged use of the internet has its effects on the body and may destabilize the general well-being of an individual. It has caused poor health amongst its users. Sitting with a bad posture causes spine problems; starring at the phone or computer screens for a long time can cause headaches and eye problems; yes, it can cause obesity. People who spend too much time on the screen rarely practice physical activities, not forgetting they eat a lot of unhealthy food, causing weight problems that can lead to terminal illnesses such as stroke and heart diseases.
The internet is good because it has automated many things that would otherwise be quite tiring to deal with. However, it has its cons, too, and sometimes we need to get off our screens and spend time with our loved ones and enjoy the things that are right in front of us. Time management is crucial in dealing with something as vast as the internet. Self-control is essential too so that one may not spend too much time on the internet.