The internet is a controversial subject. Some say its nothing more than a distraction and is causing people today to become lazier. Other's say the internet is a great tool connecting minds from all around the world on all type of subjects. I see the internet as more of a good thing then a bad.
Although the internet is a great learning tool, there are many disadvantages to it. One is that it is a big distraction. Today smartphones run the cell phone industry and because of the internet smartphones have distracting features. Some of them are twitter, Facebook, and instagram. Pretty much anything you can think of because smartphones are tiny computers themselves. You see this distraction in the classrooms mainly with students not paying attention to the teacher because they are checking their twitter feed. Another disadvantage is that its just not safe. Today a lot of banking goes on online so in the "great wasteland", as people call it, there are pin numbers, social security numbers, and credit card numbers that are easily picked up by hackers. There are things like firewalls that are put in place to try to prevent these things but many people still have to deal with getting their account number stolen and loosing their money that they're not even spending. A third disadvantage is that having such easy access to the internet is causing people (mainly students) to retain less information then by say going to a library and looking it up in a book. With the information a person needs being only a fingertip away, people aren't remembering information as effectively.
Although the disadvantages may seem big, I believe the advantages are too great to shine such a dim light on the internet and all its become. The internet can give you access to information from all around the world within seconds. Data from internetworldstats.com says that the growth of internet users from around the world has grown 566.4%. Having that many minds to share ideas is amazing. Being able to connect professors and doctors in seconds. Even though not all people who use the internet retain the information they look up, it's a great way to get to the information you want. Weather it be in your pocket or on a computer. Any information you could possibly think of can be yours within a matter of minutes or even seconds. This connects students, teachers, doctors, and all type of people to the information they want and can use. Lastly the internet is one of the greatest learning tools we have today. Everything a student needs is right in front of them. Textbooks and videos are a click away. If a student is having trouble with say a math problem at home and doesn't know how to solve it, step by step instructions can be found online. Granted so can the answer but lets not put everyone under one umbrella. The internet does have its drawbacks but the good outweigh the bad in my opinion. Used correctly the internet can and is quickly advancing us in fields such as learning, technology, and medicine. The internet has made the world more accessible with the touch of a button.
