I wrote this essay for a course I am taking called: “The Social Implications of Computing”
The topic: “Reflect on what YOU think about the Internet”
The Internet: My home away from home
In the early sixties, Paul Baran set the foundation for one of the greatest technological inventions in our society. He researched packet switching networks, which split data into small chunks of data called packets, which are routed over a shared network. This concept was embedded in the ARPANET, the first packet switching network, which has evolved into what we currently know as the Internet. The internet, an enormous network of interconnected computers, has become indispensable to our society. In my opinion, I see the internet as my home away from home.
Nowadays, I might not be the only one with this opinion, since comScore, a digital tracking firm, reported that more than a billion people aged fifteen and older used the internet in the month of December, 2008 (Luann). Why is the internet so heavily used? We have to recognize that it is difficult not to embrace a computer network that provides us with many benefits such as: creating and sending text messages with immediate delivery (E-mail), transferring files from one computer to another (File Transfer Protocol), delivering voice communication (Voice over Internet Protocol) and real time exchange of text messages (Instant Messaging).
How can these internet applications make a person feel closer to home? Regardless of one’s current location, e-mails and instant messaging provide faster communication with relatives and friends than normal mail. Large video files about family or other events, can be shared using file transfer protocols, which makes us feel, like we were actually there. Furthermore, if we are far from home, some Voice over Internet Protocol implementations such as Skype lets people make free computer to computer calls over the internet. This allows us to speak with our loved ones for free or at very competitive prices.
Nonetheless, there is one internet application that stands above the rest, the World Wide Web (known as The Web). The web, a large interconnected collection of WebPages written in HTML, is the main reason the internet has become extremely popular. The benefits are immeasurable; from the comfort of our home we can access WebPages that helps us: research information for various types of projects, skip the large lines of our local banks with the availability of online banking, and shop around the world. Additionally, we can feel closer to home keeping ourselves up-to-date with the latest news accessing every newspaper, radio or TV station that has an online presence. As a result of the popularity of the web, companies have a strong presence on the internet. In fact Eurostat, a statistical office of the European communities, conducted a research study in which sixty four percent of the European companies have a website (Wilson).
Can the presence of companies on the internet change the way we live our life? I believe it can represent a challenge if we are not up-to-date on how to use the internet. Nonetheless, if you are a person who is in a computer related field you can make a living from the internet. The internet provides many occupations that can attract young professionals while they decide a career path such as: webmasters, web developers, graphic designers, writers, editors, advertising agents and others. I consider myself a living example of how the internet can affect our way of life. Since I decided to pursue a career as a web developer, I have been able to improve my life, and my relative’s lives; so far the internet has given me everything I have. Not only the internet has influenced professions related with this industry, it has also influenced all other industries, and created many which never existed before. The way of doing business or of implementing a medical process, for example, has definitely changed overtime.
However, not everything that shines is gold. The internet has also brought some side effects since it can be a medium to commit crimes such as: spreading viruses, illegal transfer of funds, piracy of media, and others. Furthermore, the internet presents security threats, in which undisclosed information can be lost or leaked. Also, the internet is the means many industries use to influence people’s moral and ethical values.
Since the internet’s invention we have seen and will keep seeing its enormous benefits which definitely outweighs the disadvantages. How would the world be without this invention? It would absolutely be a very different one. But, since we actually have it, let’s enjoy and keep discovering this glorious invention which makes us feel right at home even if we are thousands of miles away.
Bibliography
Luann, Lasalle. “Global Internet audience passes 1 billion users with China, U.S. leading wayâ€. The Canadian Press. January 2009.
Wilson, Drew. “64 percent of EU-27 companies have website: Eurostatâ€. EE Times Europe. December 2008.