The Positives:
- Instant messengers such as MSN, Skype and many others allow text, sound and video to be transferred worldwide instantly as well as sharing images and other data.
- The Internet has allowed people to send and receive information in seconds rather than days or weeks using E-mail. There is no barrier to doing business or collaborative research across continents. Families can use email to keep in touch in a way that was never possible before.
- As a research and learning tool, the Worldwide Web offers a vast library of data. Finding information is as simple as entering words into a search engine. Knowledge can be gained in minutes rather than hours and days.
- The incredibly rapid transfer of data means that people can travel less. Contact can be maintained from almost anywhere in the world as easily as across a meeting table.
- The Internet provides a platform for individuals to publish information, advertising data and commerce sites. No other medium is as accessible to individuals and small businesses.
- There is excellent information on any topic instantly available for anyone who knows how to evaluate their sources. Research can be performed in an hour that would have taken a month prior to the internet. One can look up a medical condition or the side effects of a prescription drug. This potential is awesome and encourages the acquisition of a whole new subset of skills.
- Email allows easy, regular, casual communication between people who live far away from each other where they may not have gone to the trouble or could not have gone to the expense of telephone calls or written correspondence by mail. It allows instant and daily communications that help to maintain long distance relationships. One might only call a sibling once a month but email allows daily communication at a nominal cost. One can send a photo instantly by email.
- The internet has become a great resource for work from home either for a company employee or the self employed.
- The internet provides instant price shopping for any product a consumer may need. A savvy shopper can take advantage of free shipping in addition to a great price.
- Youtube videos are available on any topic for instant answers on "how to" or to check out a recording artist before buying.
- The internet allows shut-ins an instant window on the world and more control over their lives. Forums are available on any topic that allow these people access to other like minded people and people with similar interests and open channels of communication they would never have without the internet.
- Education and even degrees can be obtained online.
The Negatives:
- Privacy is being compromised by the ever increasing storage of personal data on servers accessible worldwide. Most data is not at all sensitive but important financial and identity data has been used for fraudulent purposes.
- E-mail has diminished the value of personal contact, some people argue. E-mail is so convenient that it has replaced millions of face to face meetings and even more hand written sentences.
- Although research is now remarkably easy, not all data on the internet is accurate. Individuals are able to generate web sites without any other person reviewing the information posted to the sites. It is often a challenge to separate the accurate information from the dubious data and opinions so often found on obscure web sites.
- The Internet can be used for crime as well as legal activities. One of the most publicized activities is that of adults communicating with children. Adults are able to hide behind false identities and have secret conversations online with children. In some cases, great harm has been caused to children in this way.
- Many critics will say that social skills are being eroded by online communications. People who would have mixed in society are now found in front of a computer to the exclusion of all other social contact.
- Many users do not realize that what they put online about themselves will stay there forever, in some cases affecting future employment. Also, unthinking people post photos of other people, some in compromising positions, without permission. Many unthinking people post family photos online not only placing their children at risk but without their informed consent.
- Scams, pornography, hackers, trolls.
- "Black hat" hackers, ones that write viruses and hack banks.
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