The Internet: A supplement to human life.
Certainly, there is no denying that the Internet has become an integral tool for many people worldwide. The various technological resources and advantages the internet offers has significantly impacted the form in which people communicate and operate entirely. Additionally, the internet has become a replacement or a more efficient alternative to many forms of activities, tasks and entertainment such as: online shopping, programming and social media. Moreover, the convenience and accessibility of the internet has become a reliability for most during the 21st century.
One of the main reasons the internet has become essential for a day-to-day lifestyle is due to its ability to allow people to communicate without any form of distance barriers. For instance, two friends from different countries can communicate through various messaging platforms without the need to come face-to-face. Additionally, the internet allows its users to collect and share any form of information instantly to other users or publicly. Currently social media has become the quintessential form of sharing information. These platforms allow its users to communicate, obtain and share any form of information such as: news articles, reports, important events, official releases and casual communication. Another way the internet has become practical, it’s through the various forms of online management and utilities it provides. In recent years, platforms including Uber have allowed a wide array of users to quickly request an economic cab ride to any given location in a short span of time; in contrast, taxis — which were the default form of cab service — were commonly known to be difficult to access and relatively expensive. On another note, online services like Amazon and eBay allow their users to purchase and sell almost any form of product varying from clothing, medicine, food, electronics and domestic items. Nevertheless, even considering the numerous amounts of advantages the internet has to offer, many perceive it as a severely detrimental tool.
There is no denying that the internet has become an extremely efficient — almost considered crucial — utility. However, a common fear is that the internet and the various elements that it offers may overshadow or severely hinder people’s social and mental abilities. The usual argument proposes that society is growing dependent to social media which, consequently, impairs their interpersonal skills. Another typical belief presents that the internet will advance to such degree that it will render any possible human effort or skill useless or impractical. This has become a frequent belief especially considering recent technological advances regarding Artificial Intelligence, which allows technology and the internet to have a mind of its own similar to that of humans. Despite many people falling victim to these generic worries, these are common misconceptions that can be easily dealt with prior education, discipline and moderation. For example, social media will only affect a person’s social abilities if they constantly browse them. However, if said person utilizes social media on a moderate basis while still maintaining their interpersonal skills in practice, then their social proficiency will not be affected. Although these may seem to be ordinary and logical concerns, people seem to not comprehend the essence and purpose of the internet — to aid and facilitate human tasks and interaction.
The internet should be only utilized for the sole purpose of its creation, which is to further enhance and ease human life. We should not be able to fully depend on the internet for everything that it can improve upon. No matter from which perspective you look at it, the internet will never be able to fully recreate or replace any form of human activity. Online networks are prone to malfunction at any given time due to various factors embed in its structure. With this is mind, certain situations will surge in which the internet will be rendered useless meaning that if we grow dependent on it there will no other alternative to utilize if the need ever arises. Personally, I browse the internet mainly to utilize social media platforms such as YouTube, Instagram and Twitter as a form of entertainment and diversion during my free time. Additionally, I navigate the web in order to utilize a various amount of applications that permit me to realize certain tasks that previously I could not accomplish or simply because the internet offers a more viable and advantageous alternative. For instance, through Amazon I’m able to purchase a vast array of items that I normally could not purchase in a retail store. Moreover, applications like Uber offers me a reliable, manageable and hasty form of transportation which other services could never achieve. However, the most application I tend to rely upon on are the various messaging platforms in order to quickly communicate with any family member or friend. Ultimately, the internet will always be present to serve as a supplement to human life; the different forms it can affect human life will be entirely dependent on the purpose and usage we individually desire to assign to it.
Bellow I provided some of the links that further showcase the various platforms I discussed, alongside some of the content I enjoy browsing on my social media:
