The Internet

While some consider it as a blessing others regard it as a curse, because the internet like everything else in the world has a good and a bad side to it. The one of the main reasons that many people blame is that there is no sense of censorship in the world of the internet.Without censorship many things spin out of control. People start using the internet as a method of spying rather than a manner of communication they abuse this blessing by placing information or data that is unacceptable such as hacking, others may use it for fraud or theft. When these actions are committed they are considered a as a form of crime, and like all other crimes they are intolerable by society.A student no longer needs to spend long hours in libraries searching for a desired piece of information. A web search engine can provide the needed material just at a click of a button and no matter which remote corner of the world you are in, the Internet will keep you side by side of the latest developments in y our area of interest.As with every new technology there are those who speak high of the Internet and there are those who portray it in an unfavorable source of knowledge. And as with other new technologies there is nothing wrong with the Internet itself. It is we who are to decide whether the internet is a curse or a blessing.The question as per whether the internet is a blessing or a curse for this millennial generation is attracting a global attention. As a topic of global interest, one just have to take a position but with an unbiased sense of judgment. The advent of internet has brought unprecedented breakthrough in every sphere of human endeavour and perhaps also some negative impact.Internet simply put, is a cloud based medium that enable dissemination of information internationally among millions of users through a network connecting computers and other compatible gadgets. The information could be accessed in a written form through electronic mail, recorded videos, instant me ssaging, video chat, pictorially etc.From every sense of fairness, Internet has turned the Universe to one global village and has done more good than evil. Can we say that internet is both a blessing and a curse? We should be able to take a position at the end of this discourse.Benefits of the Internet (Advantages)The benefits of the internet have to do with the blessings and advantages associated with its usage. They are discussed below:Knowledge Pool: There is hardly any topic that has no definition online. Scholars gladly research into any area of interest and make their findings available for the benefits of all seekers of knowledge on the internet. Fastest medium of information dissemination: It is the fastest medium of information dissemination especially if it is bulky. I remember waiting for the news vendor (print media) several hours to catch a glimpse of the latest news several years ago. But now, just go online, and you are current and abreast with latest news even before the news paper seller.An instructional media for Teachers: Students can learn and be taught at the comfort of their homes online (e-learning). They can attend classes even when they are thousands of Miles away from the school or learning centres. This is achieved via the aid of a projector connected to the internet. With other supportive accessories and gadgets, they can even have student-teacher interaction,a two way channel that consummate the learning process. Source of Income: It is a veritable source of income for millions of persons around the globe. Internet Service Provision in itself is a business whether at the multinational or local level. Today we have several online publishers and freelancers getting their livelihood through this medium.Medium for Data Storage: Data and information that need easy and quick retrieval can be better stored online. Though this may have some side effects but it is better. We live in a world prone to all forms of disasters such as fire occur rence, flood and theft just to mention a few. Documents stored online are safe in case of such occurrences. Business Transactions: Today we hear of e-commerce. This is made possible through the internet. Buying and selling with ease online is becoming the best practice and it has proved to  be safer and more convenient.Entertainment Media: It has assumed the widest spectrum for the entertainment media. Easy access to audio and video streaming with variety of choices especially with a very strong network. In most cases you pay data connection fee only while the movies are free. Although they have their own remote benefits. Medium of Advertisement: Online advertisement is one of fastest growing advertising media. There is hardly any site one visit without seeing one form of advert or the other. The fastest means of letting the World know what your business is and any other important information is to advertise it online.The Dark Side of the Internet (Disadvantages)The internet has s ome disadvantages. They are as follows:1. Malicious Spy: Some unscrupulous individuals take advantage of internet lapses to spy and access the privacy of some well meaning users . They have various means of achieving this nefarious act, most especially through Computer or electronic viruses.Through this medium some persons has lost valuables too numerous to quantify. To forestall this act, a reliable anti- virus or anti-spyware should be installed on Computer systems and similar gadgets that are online.2. Moral Decadence: The advent of internet has brought about a number of vices as a result of all manner of information that are allowed on online. For example there is unrestricted access to pornographic videos. This no doubt can corrupt Teenagers and even adults who lack discipline. Apart from pornography there are other movies that are not healthy for Children and Teenagers.3. Distraction: It can cause distraction if not properly harnessed with discipline even among adults. Too muc h time is spent by youngsters on irrelevant browsing at the expense of other meaningful engagements such as studying their books.4. Terrorism: Coordinated terrorist attacks are made possible in most cases via the internet. It easier for them to use this medium than any other means of communication for the sake of secrecy.5. Fraud: Internet is one of the greatest avenue through which fraud has been committed. This most often is possible through deceit and false identity. As a result the unsuspecting public are prone to be victims. It is one of the biggest media for trading as indicated in the benefits of online transaction.We have seen situation of impersonation and declaration of false identity and sometime one wonder why they sail through even with all these numerous warnings and awareness creation about this type of activities. This is a â€Å"Food for Thought†.In my own opinion I think the reason why many fall prey is because of greed. An attempt to get rich â€Å"overnig ht† as a result they can’t exercise enough patience for proper investigation.From the forgoing I think one can easily take position as per whether Internet is a Blessing or a Curse especially for this millennial generation. The benefits derivable from the use of the internet far outweigh the disadvantages.More so, some of the disadvantages are manageable. It is a matter of discipline and curbing one’s will power. Teens phase of life are explorative in nature. If they are given proper foundation with respect to the consequences using the internet wrongly, they will abide. Sanity comes with good upbringing with parents and guardians showing good example.A lot have been done to curb the activities of hackers online and to a very high extent it has proved very effective. Employ the services of Virus protection Software and you can be sure you are secured online. There is also online Parental control and monitoring Software to guard against wards transcending their bo und.Internet Service providers (ISP) are also on their heels monitoring the activities of those who uses their services maliciously especially for fraudulent purposes. Such accounts can be monitored and closed down though it takes a lot to do so.