Good vs Evil – The internet

Life has changed so dramatically from life just twenty years ago. Our children have technology at their fingertips that we saw introduced when we were growing up.  Manufacturing has changed to the point where companies are buying used plant machinery instead of new to save a few pennies which is very sensible as they do the same job but cheaper.  We can remember a pre-internet age but they will never know life without instant access to anything they need. This is not necessarily a negative thing as the internet provides us with a whole new way of seeing the world and has so many incredible uses. Let’s take a look at why the internet is a great thing:

The internet can be good for our health. Particularly for young people, who may be embarrassed to discuss problems, the internet can be the source of a wealth of information about health and well-being. Reliable sites offer help, advice, health related information and contact details for problems with depression or sexuality.

The internet can also offer a social element in the lives of many older people too. A study carried out found that people over the age of 60 were more mentally active and less depressed when they spent time online. Many people use social networks to find out about health issues and find that even just sharing experiences of chronic illness, for example, can make people feel more positive. Any information that persuades that person to consult a doctor has got to be a positive thing.

The internet is beneficial to our economy. It creates jobs and for each job created in the technology industry, 5 more are born in other branches, for example, support roles. For at least 13 countries, the internet provides 3.4% to GDP, including the UK. Sales on the internet are so high that they equal the GDP produced by Canada every year and more than what is produced by Australia. That is quite a contribution to the world’s economy. In the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 95% of the companies have an online presence. An online presence is crucial for sales and the customer-seller relationship.

Communication is so much easier with the internet. Over the last decade Skype has connected more than 300 million people worldwide. People are also using the internet to find love and between 2005 and 2012 over a third of married couples in America had met online. Rather bizarrely the number of people separating and divorcing are lower for those who met each other on the internet.

Image result for people using skype

Image credit

The internet helps us to learn. There are a plethora of online courses these days so anyone can really learn about anything. Distance learning is made possible with no geographical restrictions placed upon the student in terms of access to a course he or she wants to study. The number of students applying for online courses has risen by 96% in the last few years. The hunger for knowledge is strong! While we must be careful that our learning comes from reputable sources only, the opportunity to research any subject from anywhere is truly incredible.