Another very important factor making the internet very popular is its flexibility. No network is too large or too small, too fast or too slow to be interconnected. Basically, anyone that has access to a computer system can use the internet regardless of the type of computer hardware or software.
Sharing information with one another has never been easier. The internet opens up the gates to what we now refer to as ‘the information superhighway’. All the ‘barriers’ to the flow of information have been opened up and information is now shared freely throughout the world cheaply. A case in point are:
- Online banking is up to 4 times cheaper that telephone banking and up to 10 times cheaper than high street banking
- Cheap flights, books and holidays are easily available on the net. Consumers actually save quite some money when they buy goods on-line.
Video-conferencing makes it possible for people to see and hear other people on the other end of world! It makes it possible for teachers and learners to ‘meet’ online to discuss their experiences and solve problems.
I don’t think that anyone could have even imagined this some fifty years ago. But the internet has made it possible and researchers, scientists, doctors, engineers, economists, you name it, all are coming together to freely share ideas with one another from every corner of the world. In the development of anything great, great minds must come together and the internet makes it very easy.
You may argue that this may also be possible if the various people from different parts of the world physically meet at a particular forum e.g. in Geneva, but let me ask you, how many times in a year do you think it is possible? With the internet, it is possible every single day! You can be anywhere in the world and still be able to take part in an online discussion or debate.
I found that my outlook has actually broadened by engaging with so many different kinds of people from various parts of the world who provide you with many different perspectives. None of this would have been possible without the internet.
The internet is a tool; it all depends on how you, the user, exploit it. I used it to my advantage and as a result, I gained from it. If you as the user decide to use the internet wrongly, then you cannot blame the tool for the outcomes; for the simple reason that what you sow is what you reap.
We cannot blame the internet for the ‘problems’ that users have to face, for these are not problems with the internet, but simply problems created by ill-minded users.
We commonly talk of ‘control measures’ that need to be established. I agree, control measures do need to be put in place to stop the pariah users of the internet from committing felonies and malicious acts.
These include:
- Encryption
- Firewalls
- Checksumming
- Anti-spyware, anti-malware&anti-virus programs
These and many other methods of control offer solid protection to the users but,
Members of the audience, inspite of the controls, the malicious ones still find a way to bypass the measures and put other innocent users at risk. My worthy opponents, I put it to you that the benefits of the internet cannot be diluted or eradicated in any way by such people.
