How Internet Shapes Contemporary Social Environment - Research Paper Example

 TECHNOLOGY AND WORLD CULTUREIntroductionTechnological advances has altered our way of life very markedly and the pace of those changes seems to be getting faster and faster. People can hardly cope with the changes going on in their lives these days. Technological changes in science, medicine, industry and even in social life has influenced how people live their lives these days and nothing has a greater impact on the world and its various nationalities and cultures than the World Wide Web or the Internet.

From a wartime tool to keep communication lines always open between different combat units in case of a nuclear attack, the Internet was originally military technology similar to the global positioning system (GPS) in the so-called “Star Wars” warfare which found an application in civilian use. A vastly different world exists today due to the spread of Internet use which relies to a great extent on the concept of redundant networks to assure continuous connections in whatever conditions. This paper examines how computers and the Internet has changed the world environment where people increasingly rely on these two products of modern technology to do any thing they want.

DiscussionThe Internet has altered the way people work, live, transact their business, how they can bank their money, communicate with each other, socialize, research for some information and in many ways previously inconceivable just a few decades ago. One can find knowledge with just a few clicks of the mouse. However, one thing the Internet has changed in a very profound way is how it made the world a much smaller place and various cultures now become homogeneous. Instant communications has allowed people to know more about each other and various cultures around the world.

Information travels very fast at the speed of light (or the connections). Language barriers are being brought down because of the Internet; it has also allowed people to learn more about the culture of far-away countries in an instant. World culture is largely defined by the mass media (multi-media such as the television, newspapers, on-line libraries, the Internet and pop culture such as hip-hop music) and there is now an easier intermingling of various ideas. World culture is now largely defined as instant gratification, people are unwilling to wait longer than necessary when they want something or search for some answers to nagging questions.

The Internet is all about building communities (albeit on-line groups such as Facebook and Twitter). World culture is now moving towards greater personal freedoms and political transparency as we can see in the Arab Spring, countries in the Middle East rising up against authoritarian rule. It is now very difficult for despots and dictators to control their people and impose censorship, with a rare exception of China and Iran whose peoples still reel under repressive governments. ConclusionPeople now prefer to go on-line instead of meeting face to face.

In this aspect, Internet use has lead to the decline of warmer relationships with an advent of anonymous on-line persona using avatars instead of the real person. The downside to this development is a world culture that is largely composed of sometimes isolated individuals. This is very ironic considering Internet is supposed to connect people. World culture is characterized by a younger generation which is bit more open-minded, tolerant, confident and assertive. However, it has also given rise to people who are isolated, lonely, depressed, anxious and largely cynical in their view of life.