Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet

Internet has been perhaps the most outstanding innovation in the field of communication in the history of
mankind. As with every single innovation, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages. But usually,
greater magnitude of advantages outweighs its disadvantages.

During his evolution journey from Neanderthals to Homo erectus and then to Homo sapiens, man
has come long way. Because of his continuous quest for more and more amenities and facilities,
the nineties have seen a major turn around with the invention of computers. 10 years ago, the
term internet was practically anonymous to most of the people. And today internet has become
the most ever powerful tool for man throughout the world. The internet is a collection of various
services and resources.

Although, many people still think e-mail and World Wide Web as the principle constituents of
internet, there is lot more in store than e-mail, chat rooms, celebrity web sites and search
engines. It also became the best business tool of modern scenario. Today internet has brought a
globe in a single room. Right from news across the corner of the world, wealth of knowledge to
shopping, purchasing the tickets of your favorite movie-everything is at your finger tips. Internet
has great potential and lot to offer… however, like every single innovation in science and
technology, internet has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Advantages

Communication:
The foremost target of internet has always been the communication. And internet has excelled
beyond the expectations .Still; innovations are going on to make it faster, more reliable. By the
advent of computer’s Internet, our earth has reduced and has attained the form of a global village.

Now we can communicate in a fraction of second with a person who is sitting in the other part of
the world. Today for better communication, we can avail the facilities of e-mail; we can chat for
hours with our loved ones. There are plenty messenger services in offering. With help of such
services, it has become very easy to establish a kind of global friendship where you can share
your thoughts, can explore other cultures of different ethnicity.

Information
Information is probably the biggest advantage internet is offering. The Internet is a virtual treasure
trove of information. Any kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the
Internet. The search engines like Google, yahoo is at your service on the Internet. You can almost
find any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for. There is a huge
amount of information available on the internet for just about every subject known to man, ranging
from government law and services, trade fairs and conferences, market information, new ideas
and technical support, the list is end less.

Students and children are among the top users who surf the Internet for research. Today, it is
almost required that students should use the Internet for research for the purpose of gathering
resources. Teachers have started giving assignments that require research on the Internet.
Almost every coming day, researches on medical issues become much easier to locate.
Numerous web sites available on the net are offering loads of information for people to research
diseases and talk to doctors online at sites such as, America’s Doctor. During 1998 over 20
million people reported going online to retrieve health information.

Entertainment
Entertainment is another popular raison d'être why many people prefer to surf the Internet. In fact,
media of internet has become quite successful in trapping multifaceted entertainment factor.
Downloading games, visiting chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses people
have discovered. There are numerous games that may be downloaded from the Internet for free.
The industry of online gaming has tasted dramatic and phenomenal attention by game lovers.
Chat rooms are popular because users can meet new and interesting people. In fact, the Internet
has been successfully used by people to find life long partners. When people surf the Web, there
are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more can be found and shared
on the Internet.

Services
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking, purchasing
tickets for your favorite movies, guidance services on array of topics engulfing the every aspect of
life, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line and can cost you more.

E-Commerce
Ecommerce is the concept used for any type of commercial maneuvering, or business deals that
involves the transfer of information across the globe via Internet. It has become a phenomenon
associated with any kind of shopping, almost anything. You name it and Ecommerce with its giant
tentacles engulfing every single product and service will make you available at your door steps. It
has got a real amazing and wide range of products from household needs, technology to
entertainment.

Disadvantages

Theft of Personal information

If you use the Internet, you may be facing grave danger as your personal information such as
name, address, credit card number etc. can be accessed by other culprits to make your problems
worse.

Spamming:
Spamming refers to sending unwanted e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and needlessly
obstruct the entire system. Such illegal activities can be very frustrating for you, and so instead of
just ignoring it, you should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet
can become that much safer.

Virus threat
Virus is nothing but a program which disrupts the normal functioning of your computer systems.
Computers attached to internet are more prone to virus attacks and they can end up into crashing
your whole hard disk, causing you considerable headache.

Pornography:
This is perhaps the biggest threat related to your children’s healthy mental life. A very serious
issue concerning the Internet. There are thousands of pornographic sites on the Internet that can
be easily found and can be a detrimental factor to letting children use the Internet.

Though, internet can also create havoc, destruction and its misuse can be very fatal, the
advantages of it outweigh its disadvantages.

Advantages of internet
There many advantages to using the internet such as:

• Email.
Email is now an essential communication tools in business. It is also excellent for keeping
in touch with family and friends. The advantages to email is that it is free ( no charge per
use) when compared to telephone, fax and postal services.
 • Information.
There is a huge amount of information available on the internet for just about every
subject known to man, ranging from government law and services, trade fairs and
conferences, market information, new ideas and technical support.
• Services.
Many services are now provided on the internet such as online banking, job seeking and
applications, and hotel reservations. Often these services are not available off-line or cost
more.
• Buy or sell products.
The internet is a very effective way to buy and sell products all over the world.
• Communities.
Communities of all types have sprung up on the internet. Its a great way to meet up with
people of similar interest and discuss common issues.

The Advantages & Disadvantages of The Internet:

The Internet or the World Wide Web is indeed a wonderful and amazing addition in
our lives. The Internet can be known as a kind of global meeting place where people from
all parts of the world can come together. It is a service available on the computer, through
which everything under the sun is now at the fingertips of anyone who has access to the
Internet.

To get ‘online’, meaning to connect to the Internet, you need to have:

• A Computer: Computer equipment is a sizeable investment and thus you should

select a computer carefully. Before buying a computer, understand your needs and
then choose one accordingly. See that it comes with a warranty and that after sales
service is available in case you need it.
• Internet Service Provider: This is the software that you will require to get online.
You can now choose from a dial-up service or 24-hour broadband services. This is
the service that will help you to connect to the Internet and start your surfing
experiences.

Advantages of the Internet

The Internet provides opportunities galore, and can be used for a variety of things. Some
of the things that you can do via the Internet are:

• E-mail: E-mail is an online correspondence system. With e-mail you can send
and receive instant electronic messages, which works like writing letters. Your
messages are delivered instantly to people anywhere in the world, unlike
traditional mail that takes a lot of time.
• Access Information: The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any
kind of information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The
‘search engines’ on the Internet can help you to find data on any subject that you
need.
 • Shopping: Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shop
online. There are many online stores and sites that can be used to look for
products as well as buy them using your credit card. You do not need to leave
your house and can do all your shopping from the convenience of your home.
• Online Chat: There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to
meet new people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends.
• Downloading Software: This is one of the most happening and fun things to do
via the Internet. You can download innumerable, games, music, videos, movies,
and a host of other entertainment software from the Internet, most of which are
free.

Disadvantages of the Internet

There are certain cons and dangers relating to the use of Internet that can be summarized
as:

• Personal Information: If you use the Internet, your personal information such as
your name, address, etc. can be accessed by other people. If you use a credit card
to shop online, then your credit card information can also be ‘stolen’ which could
be akin to giving someone a blank check.
• Pornography: This is a very serious issue concerning the Internet, especially
when it comes to young children. There are thousands of pornographic sites on
the Internet that can be easily found and can be a detriment to letting children use
the Internet.
• Spamming: This refers to sending unsolicited e-mails in bulk, which serve no
purpose and unnecessarily clog up the entire system.

If you come across any illegal activity on the Internet, such as child pornography or even
spammers, then you should report these people and their activities so that they can be
controlled and other people deterred from carrying them out. Child pornography can be
reported to:

• Your Internet service provider

• Local police station
• Cyber Angels (program to report cyber crime)

Such illegal activities are frustrating for all Internet users, and so instead of just ignoring
it, we should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can
become that much safer. That said, the advantages of the Internet far outweigh the
disadvantages, and millions of people each day benefit from using the Internet for work
and for pleasure.