The World of the Internet

by Jennifer Okonkwo

The Internet is a network tool that connects computers all over the world that provides a variety of information and communication facilities, with the help of standardized communication protocols. In late 1960s a computer scientist invented internet by name Leonard Kleinrock. Before then, they were nothing like internet or network.

In 1904s sending message was difficult, people use through the means of telegrams or telegraphy, or use signals, which makes life difficult and fun in a way, I will explain. Is difficult then because it takes months before the sender receives a reply. It was fun because there’s this strange happy feeling we get when we see letter delivery in our doorstep. As years goes by, they discovered another easy way cybercafé, all an individual need is to pay and then make use of the computer, as years go by things started becoming easier.

In this century they are many apps to communicate and interact even live video call. That feeling of receiving mail or frustrate about delay in reply of mails are gone. The world as become easy access because of free internet.

Internet plays a critical role in many areas, it is the key without internet other apps will not function, there are multiple advantages of the Internet. Internet is good in a way and a destruction in a way and the question is what parents, foster care or guardian can do towards the destruction part.

IMPORTANCE OF INTERNET

Connectivity, communication, and sharing- In the past years communication especially if the person leaves in Abroad, the means of communication then was very poor and frustrating, YES! I wrote frustrating because back then in Africa a lot of people lost, they loved once because of delay of communication, e.g., if a loved one is in hospital, and they require to deposit money before payment because of no money and delay in communication the sick person might die. In modern times, you can send a letter or important information to anyone in the e-mail, WhatsApp, Facebook and other apps all over the world through the Internet, and it will be delivered to the destination in less than a minute.

Information, knowledge, and learning- the help of Internet makes it easier for people to learn information about many things even how to cook or any history or any topic and provides an answer to any type of question, example using a search engine like Google, Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, also Wikipedia and more, they all provide answers to any question. Watching of videos about any topic on sites like YouTube. Also, learn online courses in many different subjects. Especially during these pandemic billions of schools now teach online through zoom, google doc, teams etc. Without internet this won’t hold and imagine how annoying it is when internet is not stable.

Address, mapping, and contact information- The Internet helps providing information almost every place in the world on the map with the help of GPS technology, with internet is quicker to find route to any location I have missed road many times but with the help of internet in my phone I could track my way back.

Selling and making money- there are high rate of online marketing these days, like ordering body wears, like shoes cloths, even to order taxi can be done online, food delivery, with stable Internet both customer and seller will not have problem because is the best place to sell goods and easier way to communicate. Business online owners makes sure Internet is always on and always available because of the business. Also, the Internet provides the advantage to promote your business online in the world through advertising. Additionally, there are several ways to earn money online by performing other online services.

Banking, bills, and shopping- days are gone when people have go to bank to check they balance, or deposit money just download the bank App then configure and use it, by your bank balance without leaving your home, the Internet offers the benefit to access your bank account to view the balance. Also, you can send money, pay bills electronically, or many other services can complete through the Internet.

Another advantage of the Internet is online shopping, which allows people to find products of interest and buy them without having to visit a store. You can compare prices between companies for any product through the Internet. Also, you can get help to make better purchasing decisions by online reviews, which describes what others think about a product.

Entertainment- days are gone when people must pay to watch a movie or football entertainment. These days most adults have phone and with Internet you can watch movies, videos, play games online, listen to music, etc. You don’t have to visit or pay people to watch it. There are many sites available on the Internet, which contain different entertainment material like music, videos, and more. Also, you can watch online videos on a platform like YouTube, spots, Furthermore, you can download any movies, videos, or other entertainment material via the Internet on devices like computers or mobile phones that can be played anytime without an Internet connection.

Work from home, collaboration, and access to a global workforce- The Internet helps people to connect with others around the world. it can make services and producing new products faster.

Internet connection offers many people an option to create a virtual office by allowing them to work from home. Sometime, there could be a condition for any organization to allow their employees to work from home using their computer. In this condition, the Internet plays the most important role as it provides connectivity between all employees, through which they all can communicate and discuss with each other regarding any project.

For example, many offices needed their employees to work from home in the 2020 COVID-19 outbreak. To allow work from home can help organization owners to save money by not paying money rent for offices and help for employees to save them time and money by eliminating the daily travel to and from work every day. Furthermore, if you are running a business and you want to hire employees, there are many online services that can give you access to people looking for a job in the world.

DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNET

Addiction, time-waster, and causes distractions- becoming addicted to internet connected devices comes gradually If spending much time on it. An Internet addictive person can lead to spending his precious time on the Internet, rather than doing something productive.

Bullying, trolls, stalkers, and crime- using the Internet very often can lead to abusive or trolls’. cyberbullying is also increasing rapidly over the years. Sometimes, you can be tracked on the Internet by hackers or unauthorize persons; they can be harmful to you by stealing your personal information. If you are spending your more time on the Internet, so it will be easier for hackers to find your personal information through various means. To run business without as much fear of being caught, the web deep, and the hidden places on the internet can also be a place for criminals. Additionally, there are several people that provide criminals more ways to solicit their goods.

Spam and advertising- The Internet is the best place to advertise any service or product as compared to traditional advertising methods (for example, TV, newspaper, and radio). There is high rate see more spam in the e-mail inbox than junk mail in real life because digital advertising can be sent on a massive scale.

Pornographic and violent images- In modern world now, there are huge number of contents available on the Internet. Users can see pornographic or violent images that they may not want to see while using sites, through adverts, ads, etc.

Identity theft, hacking, viruses, and cheating- There are various malicious users and computer hackers that can steal your personal information and hack accounts, which can be used for identity theft and can be harmful to you personally. As the Internet connects all computers to each other, so hackers can quickly identify what computers are vulnerable to attack by scanning millions of computers. Additionally, the Internet also enables students to find others to do their homework and offers ways to cheat on their studies.

Health issues and obesity- playing games and spending too much time on the computer, it can also lead to obesity and an unhealthy lifestyle, especially if they are no workout. Also, a person who spends too much time on the computer can face a problem like carpal tunnel syndrome (Carpal tunnel syndrome is the compression of the median nerve as it passes into the hand) as a computer requires a lot of repetitive movement.

Depression, loneliness, and social isolation- The Internet can lead to depression as many people tend to compare their lives with others on social networking sites. Social networking sites provide users the option to make thousands of friends and communicate with each other. There are also available online games that allow players to communicate with others. Although social networking sites can give you benefits to find new connections all over the world, you may find yourself disconnected from your real-life friends and families.

Buying things that you don’t need- Internet provides advantages for consumers to make purchase easy, so users can purchase products frequently without putting much thought into whether they should or not, as some apps now helps to pay back even if you can’t pay at that moment that can make some people to be addicted to buying items on the Internet that can cause serious debt.

Not a safe place for children- The Internet may not be more useful or safe for children as they are spending much time on the Internet, instead of studying or playing with others. there are many unethical, adverts and pornography communities are available on the Internet that can cause to distract their mind. Therefore, the Internet is not beneficial for children as they can bypass parental protection with the help of different tools available on the Internet. Furthermore, if children are allowed to use the Internet, they can be addicted to it, which is also very dangerous.

Viruses/Malwares- The frequently use of the Internet may infect your system from viruses that can damage your valuable data, which is difficult to recover. These viruses enter the system through USBs, CIDs, and the Internet. Also, because of viruses, your system can become totally worthless.

PARENTAL ADVICE

Internet gives false information, let’s try not to depend on internet information especially in the areas of health. Is important to monitor what we do daily how we use our phone as an adult because our children learn from us. It is important to monitor the sites our children go and also monitor how many hours they use phone, is also good to set timetables days to play games or days to use the internet that way it helps the child to get disciplined and well trained.

Encourage your child to be careful when disclosing personal information.

Discuss about the risks associated with meeting online friend with your child. Etc.