Concerns about the uses of internet
When internet made its appearance for the first time, it was welcomed as a useful tool and rightly so as it has made our professional and personal life much easier and simpler. To cite an example with the presence of internet, one no longer has to stand in queue for a long time to book the tickets for journey ,go to the markets to shop for things, wait for the newspapers and news hour to know about the latest news etc. All of these can be done with a just a click of the mouse. Also with the large numbers of social networking sites available, even sharing thoughts or photos etc with friends have become an internet related thing. There would hardly be any person who has not been influenced by the internet. Either directly or indirectly, it has changed the life of every person from urban to rural areas. With all the benefits it is offering, one can only expect the numbers of internet users to increase every year. However, with too much dependency on internet services, people all over the world are gradually showing serious concerns about its adverse impact on the society. Here I discuss four such adverse impacts of internet:
Compulsive dependency on internet: One of the major concerns is increase in the numbers of people showing syndromes of what the psychologists term as ‘Internet Addict Disorder’. They suffer from withdrawal syndrome like irritability, mood swings, boredom etc if they do not have a constant access to the internet service. Their mood and behaviors are dependent on internet accessibility. They forget the time when they are involved in online activities. What is disturbing is the fact that even young children are getting addicted to the internet services such as online games and social networking sites. Such addictions lead to other complications like affecting their relationship with other people ,negligence of duties etc.
Physical health: Apart from straining the eyes, Internet dependency is a significant factor in increasing obesity. As has already been mentioned earlier, one no longer need to be physically present to book tickets, book hotels, buy things etc all of which has resulted in decrease in the physical movement of a person. The compulsion to visit a friend or relative also no longer exists with the instant updating of thought and sharing of photos, videos online on the networking sites. Children also often spend more times playing online games than playing in the playground. Various surveys have also shown that often colleagues working in a same office in a same building prefer to communicate through mails rather than walk over to other's cabin and talk face to face. Such kinds of sedentary life is a major cause of obesity related problems.
Hampering intellectual growth: As the information on each and everything seems to be available at the internet, no doubt education sector has benefitted a lot from the presence of internet. Whether it is for seeking and providing reference materials, conducting online classes, providing academic related notifications etc internet has become an important medium. It has also made learning easier and interesting with the various online educational tools. It is particularly useful in self learning by the students. However, its downscale is that it is also being used by many to take an easy way out. Earlier when internet was yet to become popular, the students did their assignments given to them themselves. However, at present there are many sites which offer to write the research papers or make projects for the students on payment. Apart from payment work some also get it free. For instance, I notice that sites of many forums contain threads in which the students ask their homework questions directly and the other members give solutions without any kinds of discussions. And since these are easily available to anybody visiting these sites, often many students copy them directly and do not make the effort to understand the process of solving the problems. Personally, I feel that all these hamper the intellectual growth of the students. Another way it affects the students is that many depend only on the information they get from internet. However, as the content that are posted on internet is not under the supervision of any particular agencies, anyone is free to write and post anything online. So there is greater chance of spreading misinformation.
Misuse of internet: Another big concern about the internet use is its misuse. A user can personally harm others by misusing the personal information of people from their profiles and chat-rooms or by posting bad remarks or uploading offensive photographs about whom he or she dislike. As internet has larger coverage, the damage done will be more. Another very serious cause of concern is that internet is also being used to do unlawful activities for instance, recruitment of terrorists or spreading unrests. For instance, it is believed that the riot that took place in England on September 2011 was organised through social networking sites.
To conclude,whether we want it or not the internet is here to stay.The changes it has brought about in the society is uncomparable. Though there are reasons to be worried about its adverse impacts on the society, the many positive changes it has brought about cannot be ignored. So it is in our best interest to make proper uses of it.
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