Right at this moment, more than half of the entire population of the Philippines are hooked and connected on the internet. If we combine the total population of the internet users worldwide, this would account of more than one third of the entire world population. Applying for an internet connection on selected service providers (according to your area) is relatively easy and it’s becoming cheaper with more promos that await interested clients. It may come to various forms. Some may opt to dial-up connection (no offense but I think it's an obsolete type of connection), some may have the standard DSL connection while others may enjoy the WiFi connection or steal their neighbor’s WiFi signal.
The question is: What is the reason of its subsistence?
The history of the internet is vague but to cut the crap short, it was first developed as an important tool in the office and was later modified for home use until such time those computer programming geeks have modified and redeveloped a software that allows users to surf the internet and basically share some important information in various areas.
Today, one can do virtually anything in the cyberweb. One can find an online buddy through instant messaging such as Y!M (Yahoo! Messenger), MSN and other IM service providers. One can share his thoughts through online journals or commonly known as blogs. One can also watch videos on various television programs such as the video sharing community YouTube or one can listen and download songs on Imeem, iTunes and other P2P programs such as Limewire, uTorrent, etc.
People nowadays are in loved with the internet. It is already the part of every individual’s life. Around the world, people are connected for some various reasons. These are some reasons on why people love this technological advancement:
One. It is relatively easy to find friends online. The style is this, you just say hi, hello, engage in some interesting topics and poof! You have just won an instant online buddy! As long as you share the same interests, then it won’t be a problem.
Two. It’s relatively easy to fake emotions in the cyberweb. C’mon guys, admit it. When something’s not that funny, you still type the ROFL smiley on Y!M or if you’re angry, you simply type your message on all caps but in reality, you are actually not angry, not at all! But there are some cases wherein people are really pissed off that they destroy their computers. Pffft. That’s an absurd idea. The computer is just following your commands.
Three. There’s an easy access to almost every websites, even the ones that are restricted due to the content of the website. There’s no way that the internet can determine your biological age. You can just fake your personal data through email, or just click the YES button, stating that you’re 18 years old, which in reality, you’re not. These common predicaments would lead to various problems in the society.
Now, these are some main problems brought about by the internet:
Number one, cyber bullying is one. It’s is so easy to bully and ideally, it is VERY easy to be a victim of it. Racial discrimination is common to the internet too! I have read some comments on YouTube and there are some people who are just racists. One thing for sure, you can type anything WHAT YOU WANT in the cyberweb. Besides, the only solution for it is to block you on a certain site. Of course, you can change your identity in just a few clicks. That’s it. According to my own research last year (because this is my topic on my Comm III project) there’s a young boy in America who committed suicide because of cyberbullying. This is very alarming since the internet can also be a tool to afflict damage and danger to someone, most especially to people with very low self esteem.
And number two, child pornography and child trafficking are also common problems brought about by internet. As what I have mentioned earlier, every one of us has a free access to restricted sites, like the porn sites. Even a 12 year old teenager can have a full access on millions of porn sites (and may even lead to porn addiction) available on the internet. It may have detrimental effects on man’s behavior. Thus their “horniness” would somehow be transferred to innocent children. I think the reason of this psychological addiction is to seek pleasure NO MATTER WHAT. I have seen numerous police entrapment videos on a certain TV show against child trafficking and this is somehow an effective way to eliminate such scoundrels in the society. But then again, it won’t be totally eliminated. It is such a sad truth to our society.
Well, there are some good things in the internet. Disseminating information is relatively faster than any other forms of mass media, aside from television. Nowadays, politicians are creating fan pages on Facebook (and other blog and social networking sites) and they just post their propagandas, ambitious promises and plans when they won the certain position that they vie (and die) for. In this way people will share their views and perspectives on to their certain bet.
Human beings are known to be the most intelligent organism living on this planet. For the past thousands and even tens of thousands of years, we have shaped our planet through different forms of advancements, particularly in technology. Advancements may add comfort to our life, but sometimes we fail to recognize its negative attributes to our society. So far, there are no provisions or constitutional laws regarding on prohibiting and limiting users to visit restricted sites. Each one of us has the capability to shape and modify the cyber web. There are some institutions wherein it regulates the internet access but above all, everyone can OWN their own spaces in the realm of cyberweb.
The world may be a cruel place to live in but our alternate home, which is the internet, is a more vindictive place to delve with. But still, people love to lurk and stay on their respective alternative places on the cyberweb.
This is a sad reality – the drawback of human advancements.
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