The Internet : The Dangers Of The Internet

The functional unit of our society today is centered on the Internet. In our day and age, people are prone to isolation because all communication can be performed online. We are missing key human interactions and our technology is shaping

There are few places on this Earth, if any, where the possibilities are truly endless. However, if you detach yourself from the physical world and emerge into the “online” world, you find that this just might actually be accurate in this realm. The World Wide Web has had so much to offer to us since the early 1990s, but with this comes controversy. Unleashed onto a plane of seemingly immeasurable freedom of anonymity, was the world ready for such responsibility? Since those early days when new emerging technology changed our lives immensely, have we at all become a better place, or have we bitten off more than we can chew, and doomed our human relations forever? Exploring these concepts are three in-depth articles, including: “Growing Up Tethered” by Sherry Turkle, “The Loneliness of the Interconnected” by Charles Seife, and “Cybersexism” by Laurie Penny. Although it is thought that the Internet brings the world together, it actually does not help us politically, culturally, and economically like one would believe, as it makes us unable to be independent, isolates us from different points of view, and encourages real-world violence against women and other minority groups.

Many people view the internet as an ultimate resource for anything they desire. The people who say that the internet is a brilliant invention for the best have reasons backing up their idea. For example, Sherry Turkle writes about such ideas explaining how the internet is an excellent tool for the better in her essay, “Can You Hear Me Now?” Turkle believes strongly that the invention of the internet is an innovation for the better and emphasizes to her readers how important it is in everyone’s lives nowadays. On the other hand, some believe exactly the opposite of Turkle’s invalid inquisition that the internet is a tool that is most definitely not for the greater good. The internet is a

It goes to show that the more time spent using the internet, specifically social connection sites, the more depressed a person feels over long periods of time. According to these results it is hard to notice any change in emotion at first, making it hard for the general population to see the slow, gradual decline of productivity and enjoyment of life. Based on a plethora of different studies the idea that the internet is just a useful tool to help connect others to information and each other is a world-wide lie that is easier to believe than the truth; the internet, specifically social connection sites, are slowly eating away at productivity and positive self

The article "The Internet: A Clear and Present Danger?" written by Cathleen Cleaver is a clear claim of the necessity of government regulation to control what is being shown on the Internet. To support her claim, Cleaver gives the pornographic web sites as an example. She argues that the regulations used to control the selling of pornography applied to porn stores, magazines, and television should also be applied to the Internet. The reason for such necessity is that it is impossible to control who is actually accessing such web sites. Following this reason, Cleaver's main claim in the article is that children can access pornographic web sites on the Internet. This claim is clearly stated by

It’s hard not to see or use a technology tool in our daily life, if we live in a modern world. The bombardment starts early in the morning and it will be manifested through our day in several ways, the regular person will wake up and check the apps on the cellphone while drinking a coffee, it can be for example to read news on the web, daily market numbers or for social interaction with others. The expansion to advanced options of communications like smartphones and tablets are great examples of the accelerated transition to a mass online communication. The social use of technology is influencing adult population in our present. According to Pew Research Center (n.d) data collected up to September 2014 in the online environment:

Today’s society revolves around technology. Everyone is immersed in a digital reality whether they are out to lunch with friends, taking public transportation, or sitting alone at home. Emails, texts, and social media feeds all demand the immediate attention of nearly everyone at all times of day. Everything from family to the military has a digital presence. Technology has heavily impacted the way everyone communicates within society and the way they function inside institutions. While there are numerous positive applications of the internet, it begins to go wrong when society becomes too immersed to acknowledge the extent of its influence.

Today, the Internet is the center of attention for businesses, governments, schools and individuals around the world. It has produced new industries, transformed existing ones, and has become a global cultural experience not only for adults but for children as well. It is a learning tool used to educate in schools and within our homes. The surfacing of the Internet as another means of electronic communication has had a transformative influence on social interaction.

Said (2005) precents the statement that technology is increasingly becoming engrained in our everyday lives. Consumers of the internet are using it for vast reasons. The internet has created a virtual community that is universally diverse, bringing forth different backgrounds, life styles and and interests. Where they can interact, learn and create experiences through chat rooms, forums, gaming and social media. Pizzato, Rej, Akehurst, Koprinska, Yacef, and Kay (2013) advices that as the internet has rapidly been integrated into individuals everyday lives more and more people are turning to the internet to seek out potential partners, companionship or friend to share their interests with. Seidman (2007) articulates that for some online

Americans’ over-dependence on the internet is causing more harm than good. Technological advancement, coupled with our easy access to virtual life through computers, cell phones, iPods among others has introduced us into a new era of extreme livelihood and lifestyle; we have gradually expanded internet use to do most of our walking and thinking for us. This growing trend in internet obsession if left unchanged will forever affect our emotional, physical and social wellbeing.

Stephen Marche’s “Is Facebook Making Us Lonely?” posted by The Atlantic has internet users questioning the meaning of why they use the internet and social media as well as weather or not it has a profound impact on their social lives. In 1995, only one percent of the world had access to the internet according to internetlivestats.com. Today, that number is approximately to 40%. With the expansion of the internet came social platforms such as Myspace, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and numerous similar sites. However, while these social media websites may be great ways to communicate with those who are far away or otherwise unable to speak in person, a detrimental effect comes with the power to do so. It can be time consuming and if one has an

Have you ever wondered if your personal online activities could affect your life? Many people search and share their private lives on different social media sites. In Dorothy Nixon’s “Gone with the Windows”, and Wei Du’s “Job Candidates and Facebook” both authors share how technology brings draw backs to individual lives. Many disadvantages occur when technology is misused by people who do not consider the long term effects of being online.

Every day individuals are faced with countless decisions that have the opportunity to change their lives forever. These decisions can be larger such as career options or they can be seemingly insignificant ones such as choosing what kind of shoes to wear for the day. Although such a wide variety of judgements are made each day, there is a highly influential platform that is often overlooked. The daily decisions that are made online are perhaps the most significant towards how one’s identity is shaped. As technology has changed over time, the everyday use and purpose of it has also seemed to evolve. While the internet is often used solely in search of information, it has quickly become a platform for individuals to “recreate” themselves through

From my perspective, Nicholas Carr’s argument that the internet appears to be decreasing his capacity for concentration and contemplation does apply to my generation’s internet natives. Generation Z, my generation, has an innumerable amount of internet natives who are perfect examples of Carr’s argument against the internet. My generation, who will be the leaders of the world, are losing their mental capacity because of the frequent use of electronics but especially the World Wide Web. Approximately twenty percent of children from ages eight to sixteen have a computer in their bedroom, and fifty four percent have internet access. Unfortunately, Carr’s argument applies to my generation’s web natives because they are engrossed in the web

The issue of the Internet having psychological benefits has two sides, as does any issue. James E. Katz and Philip Aspden present the yes side of this issue. Katz and Aspden used a national random telephone survey to back up their side on the issue. The survey conducted in October of 1995 compiled the individuals who took the survey into five specific groups. The groups consisted of those not aware of the Internet, non-users aware of the Internet, former users, recent users-those who started using the Internet in 1995, and longtime users-those who started using the Internet prior to 1995. The survey questioned community involvement (community, leisure, and religious,) involvement in existing communities (face to face, family, Internet,)