They call it the Information Superhighway, a medium which we use for work, play and communication purposes. It is the Internet, where a wide range of entertainment and resources are readily available over the World Wide Web. There is no doubt that it is a technological breakthrough, but it has also penetrated deep into our lives. It has become a tool which we may never be able to give up.It is by fact that there is much to explore over the Internet, people from different ends of the world are now able to communicate with each other despite the distance. So what do we have to lose for using the Internet? Nothing? Think again. I will be focusing on how the Internet has affected our social lives.
For example, people make use of the most commonly used online messengers to express their love or interest to the other party. How effective can this be? There are instances where online couples are able to talk their hearts out over the Internet but when they meet up in person, there's nothing much to talk about. It is the Internet that has crippled or hindered our social capabilities and skills.
I am sure that you have also encountered situations where you actually started an argument with your friends without you knowing it, probably due to miscommunication over the Internet. I believe the reason is simple, the method of communicating over the Internet is two-way, but the message you sent out might be misinterpreted by the receiver. Even before you could explain yourself, the other party goes off line. So who's to blame? You or the Internet? When people converse face-to-face, there is simultaneous exchange going on and if you had said something wrongly or unintentionally, there is a good chance that you will be able to remedy the situation.
Although it is always tempting to make use of the available technologies, we should not rely too much on them. It might affect our fundamental human activities such as interaction.
I am sure that you have also encountered situations where you actually started an argument with your friends without you knowing it, probably due to miscommunication over the Internet. I believe the reason is simple, the method of communicating over the Internet is two-way, but the message you sent out might be misinterpreted by the receiver. Even before you could explain yourself, the other party goes off line. So who's to blame? You or the Internet? When people converse face-to-face, there is simultaneous exchange going on and if you had said something wrongly or unintentionally, there is a good chance that you will be able to remedy the situation.
Although it is always tempting to make use of the available technologies, we should not rely too much on them. It might affect our fundamental human activities such as interaction.
9 comments:
The internet...who can do without it nowadays?
It is a double-edged sword i would say, it is true that it is harder to one to completely understand the other party's intention or thoughts through words over the net and this may lead to some misunderstanding in some situations.
But hey, on the other hand, we have interesting social networking tools like MSN, Facebook or Friendster etc that wouldn't be made possible if the internet didn't exists. These are invaluable as they do help to extend one's social capabilities and network in a convenient, accessible and fun way.
Some had accused the internet for being too digitised and we risk losing the human touch...but what's VOIP programs (Skype) or webcams for?
So is the internet really a hindrance to our social capabilities? I think not.
Yes Alister, I know where you are coming from. I agree that Facebook and Friendster does help us to extend our social circle in some ways. I always thought that what these websites do is basically linking strangers or friend's friend to their online "profile", but they can be harmful in some ways. Example: Our Personal information like email addresses are revealed to people in the Internet for exploitations. Does it affect our "online life" when we received email spams on products from unknown firms? I bet so.
Extending social circle through online means is one thing, socializing by meeting them face-to-face is another. Like I had mentioned, we rely too much on the Internet to communicate, when we go out to meet people, we might have lost touch of the basic communication skills. Although this situation might only apply to some, it is critical that we look at the problems we might eventually face, if we invest too much time behind the computer.
I do agree with you that the Internet does, to a certain extent, inadvertently undermines the quality of human interaction, allowing destructive emotional impulses freer reign under specific circumstances. However, as much as there are many instances where global Internet users 'courageously' hide behind the monitor or frequently 'fake' their personalities online, not everyone's social capabilities and skills are crippled or hindered by online messengers.
take me for example. i first knew my boyfriend through an online social network very much like Friendster and Facebook. we moved from merely "Hi, how ya doing?" instant messages, to regular online chats, to conversations via phone, to face-to-face meetups, and a couple of months later, we became romantically involved.
the World Wide Web sure has its pros and cons. it may be a help or a hazard to anyone who has access to it. So is the internet a deadly weapon? It all depends on how you use it. As inconvenient as computers may seem, what would we do with out them?
It's true what without face to face talking, there are people out there who do hife behind a facade, whether it be to lie to themselves or lie to people. I would agree that the internet does help in some ways, allowing me to communicate to my cousins in England regularly. Even on Skype and webcams, as alister mentioned.
However, if you look at it this way, that Skype and webcams do eliminate the problem of the lack of human touch.. IF you use them. If you don't then it goes back to the same problems that Mark has mentioned.
Double edged sword? Yes. It's true that you do make new friends online and they turn into your real life friends, like how I started with online friends playing an online game as a clan. After going out and all that, we're now friends in real life as well.
There's also this other lingering issue of sexual predators on the internet who go with a facade, lying to teens and meeting them. You should go watch "dateline" if you really want to have your eyes opened to the reality of these predators.
Touchy subject, it's got plenty of points either side, positive or negative. The internet and its technologies keep rapidly changing, addressing problems as well as creating new ones. (Viruses. Those bastards.)
Hi ariane, you do have a point when you cited yourself as an example of how online social network can be helpful. The point that I will like to focus on is still the impact that Internet has done to us. Your final comment still brings us back to the root of the problem: "what would we do without them?". This seriously shows how much we are dependent on the Internet for entertainment, work and even dating. The amount of time spent online is far greater than the amount of time we spent with friends and quality time with family.
Like Als has mentioned, I also used to be a online MMORPG gamer and I realised how much time I had wasted online. During those days, I hardly converse with my family. Luckily I do realise that family time is still more important, bonds cannot be fortified through the Internet.
maybe its how we actually use all these technologies available to us.
its not jus those social networking sites. how bout online betting sites?
Had a friend who owed over 10k to a online soccer betting site, irony of it is, he didn't even deposit that much money in the first place, he jus betted within his limits per match on 20 over matchs in a day. so its like 20 times his limits.
Those sites actually allow you to continue betting as long there is enough to start a bet. so you can get a negative amt at the end of the day and in my friend's case, he was unable to pay up and got hounded by debtors.
of cos, internet to me, has more pros than cons, i get to play multiplayer games, get news updates online, bond with old friends and not to forget surfing of adult sites. =P i can say, hey, i'm past 21! but in the virtual world, who knows right?
JX
My view on the Internet ultimately is that it is a valuable tool to transmit data. However, I believe that we should not over-rely on the Internet and have alternative methods to transmit data.
The Internet is vast and infinite, with a sea of information just waiting for us to tap into. But there are also other things that we should not miss out in life. The Internet may be able to show you pictures of nice landscapes and allow you to hear the environmental sounds. But you will not be able to fully experience the breathtaking views unless you are there physically.
To end off, I would like to say that the Internet isn't a bad technology. It's the users and how they use it which becomes the problem.
Yes precisely bryan, the internet is no doubt a ground breaking technology, but we must be able to see its underlying harmful effects.
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