Kody Shaw
The
internet is probably one of the most controversial subjects of my time. Like almost anything that is “invented” it is
invented with good intentions however it can quickly turn into something ugly when
people with bad intentions are involved.
This stands true for the internet too.
The
internet has many pros like being able to catch up with old friends that you
may have lost contact with after high school.
The internet can be used for things like reading on-line newspapers,
paying bills, online banking. It is also
great for research, taking online classes and working from home.
In the
past after most people graduated from high school, college or moved away the
only way to contact these people was either by the telephone or by US
mail. Many people were only able to talk
to family and friends out of state once a week or once a month because long
distance phone calls were very expensive.
Using the US mail system was much cheaper but not convenient and
depending on where the letter was going it could take over a week for the
person on the other end to receive the mail.
Social websites have changed all of that. Social websites have allowed people to locate
and keep in touch with family and friends by just going to any one of the
numerous social sites that are located on the internet. People are allowed to see photos of family
and friends that they wouldn’t normally get to see unless they had the money
and time to travel to see these people.
The internet has also allowed people to communicate with loved ones who
live in other countries and using the internet is much cheaper and quicker than
making phone calls (“Benefits of Online Social Networking” pg. 2).
Another
useful internet “tool” is being able to pay bills online. As long as the site is a secure site this is
very convenient. When you have to mail
payments they must be mailed up to two weeks before they are due just to ensure
that they make it on time and your account stays up to date. Mail can get lost and the cost of postage is
continually rising ("5 Reasons to Use Online Bill Payment” pg. 1). Using the internet is pay bills gives you the
opportunity to keep your money in your bank account earning interest right up
until the day that it that payment is due.
Most companies allow online payments to be made up until 5pm on the day
that they are due. Once you make a
payment most sites automatically generate a confirmation number for you and
send you an email letting you know that they received your payment. The money is usually debited from your bank
account the next business day. Much
easier that using the US mail system.
Online banking is another very useful way the internet is
being used. Online banking provides the convenience
of being able to watch every transaction as it happens. If you are a person who has direct deposit you
are able to see exactly when the money has been deposited into your account and
when it becomes available for your use ("4 Advantages of Online Banking”
pg. 1). Online banking is also very
helpful if a company says that they did not receive a payment from you. If you log into your banking account you are
able to give the company the exact day and time that they check cleared the
bank or the electronic transfer took place. It is also nice to be able to
monitor your bank accounts daily because if there is a transaction that looks suspicious
you are able to contact your financial institution immediately. If the transaction is some type of fraud then
the bank and immediately stop any activity on your accounts and inactivate your
debit or credit cards so that they can no longer be used until the issue is
cleared up.
Another
benefit of the internet is being able to read online newspapers and
magazines. This is huge for all of the “keep
the country green” projects. It saves a
tremendous amount of paper and ink by having your newspaper or magazine in an
online edition (“Online Newspapers” pg.1).
Another benefit of having a newspaper online is that many papers like
the Schenectady Gazette have a morning online edition and they also have an
evening edition. This is a great way to keep readers update
date on any new happenings during the day.
Online magazines and catalogs have become popular because it saves time
and money not having to print and mail these.
People looking at online catalogs also have the ability to order at the
same they are shopping without ever having to leave their house. Online catalogs also allow you to ship the
items where ever you want which is great during the holiday season.
The
internet has also allowed almost every college and university the ability to
offer online classes. I think this has been a huge success because it opens the
doors to many people who may have been unable to get to the school to take the classes
or could not find classes that were held at a time that was convenient for them
(“10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes” pg.3). I am currently taking two online classes
because I am a baseball player and I have limited days and times that I can be
at the college. If I had been unable to
take online classes I may have been behind at least one semester. Online classes are also great for people who
work full time, people who have children, people who have disabilities or
people who don’t have transportation to a school. I think online classes are a great benefit
that the internet has provided.
I think
the internet has also been a huge benefit in research. When I have to do research papers and
projects it is so much easier to do the work at home using the internet. In the past people could only do research
using books and encyclopedias.
Encyclopedia became outdates very quickly and you had to find books at
your school library or your local library.
You can only go to the library during certain days and times and this is
not convenient for many people who work or go to school full time. You may also need transportation to a library
which is not easy for some people (“Bad Title” pg.1). The internet has definitely made doing research
so much easier.
The
internet also has many cons too. Some “bad”
things about the internet are stalkers and pedophiles have easier access to
their victims, bullying on social websites is a real concern, identity thief has
risen due to the internet and the internet does not always give your accurate
information.
The
internet gives out a lot of personal information about someone and this makes
it easy for you to be found. This is not
always a good think is someone with bad intentions is looking for you. You can use a number of “people search” sites
to locate someone and once you find that person you can also find their address,
their phone number and even see a photo of their home if it is available on
Google maps. If you have a Facebook
account or a twitter account someone can see what you are up to most of time
and these types of sites make it very easy for some to find you (“Online
Predators” pg. 2).
The
internet’s social websites have opened the doors for pedophiles too. If parents are not always monitoring their
children’s accounts then they are not aware of who that child is talking to
while online. There have been several
stories in the news of people trying to lure a young person into meeting
them. These young naive children think
they are meeting a boyfriend or girlfriend that they met online when in fact it
is an adult who is a pedophile (“Online Predators” pg. 3). The pedophile has tricked the child into
thinking that he or she was their age and the child unknowingly gives out a lot
if information to this person. This is a
very scary piece of the internet and a very good reason why parents need to
monitor what their kids are doing when they are on the computer.
The
internet’s social websites have also caused many problems for people who are
being bullied. This has been a huge problem
in most schools around the country. Many
of these bullying issues have caused the victim to commit suicide. This seems to be an epidemic all over the
United States and many school districts are enforcing strict policies regarding
bullying. Bullies use the internet’s
social media as a way to intimidate a victim by posting negative comments and
even photos that the “world” can see.
This is very hurtful and upsetting for the victim and in most cases goes
unnoticed by parents and adults until it is too late (“Dealing with
Cyberbullying” pg.1). I am hoping with
stricter policies regarding bullying that these issues are stopped.
Although
the internet is a great place to do research it is also not always the greatest
place to get information from. When
doing research you need to make sure that you are using reliable an accurate websites. There are websites on the internet that
provide false or inaccurate information.
Wikipedia is a website that allows anyone to make updates or create a Wikipedia
information site. This information may
sometimes be true but it very often contains false or inaccurate information because
anyone is allowed to add information which may not be confirmed as true. Therefore, you must always make sure that you
are getting reliable information for accurate sources when using the internet (“The
Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia” pg. 2).
Works
Cited:
"Bad Title." - PsychWiki. N.p., n.d. Web. 02
Apr. 2014.
"Benefits of Online Social Networking." Home.
N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
"Dealing with Cyberbullying." Dealing with
Cyberbullying: Tips for Kids and Parents to Prevent
and Stop Cyberbullying. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
"IT 103: Online Newspapers." : Online
Newspapers: Advantages and Disadvantages. N.p.,
n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
"Online Predators: Help Minimize the Risk."
Online Predators. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Apr. 2014.
"The Top 10 Reasons Students Cannot Cite or Rely On
Wikipedia." The Top 10 Reasons
Students Cannot Cite or Rely On Wikipedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
"4 Advantages of Online Banking." Account Now
Blog. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
"5 Reasons to Use Online Bill Payment."
HowStuffWorks. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014.
"10 Advantages to Taking Online Classes."
OEDB.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Mar. 2014.
No comments:
Post a Comment