What Are the Pros and Cons of the Internet as a News Provider - Assignment Example

Question 3: What are the Pros and Cons of the Internet as a News Provider. Answer: Internet has provided a lot of incentives to the world of present times. Internet has brought about a lot of interests for the different segments of the society and we just cannot pinpoint any single one that represents and manifests its true purpose. In order to find out what the world of Internet, i.e. the World Wide Web (WWW) is all about, we have to examine where it all started, though in a very brief manner and the advantages and disadvantages that it gives to the different users. The same is also seen from the perspective of its news provision and the related contexts have also been touched upon in this paper. In the world of current affairs and news report, the Internet has come out as an agent which has brought a change by providing timely and up to the mark news. In the academic world, there has been a lot of help and facilitation which credits itself solely on the basis of the Internet and it is because of the Internet that we see programs like distance learning and e-studies coming up and having their rise with each passing day. Students are being taught through the Internet and there have been glorified modifications in the name of teaching which is done through the Internet. The presence of e-libraries and tutorials on the Internet is also a testimony that there has been a lot of development as far as the academic world and the Internet is concerned. But more so when we speak of the news providing aspects, we must understand that Internet can prove to be a real blessing in disguise for those people who cannot remain glued on to their television sets or radio transmitters. They remain in touch with the latest news and happenings through the different electronic gadgets, all of which make use of the Internet and thus provide a sense of proximity with the real world happenings and events. Internet is basically a network of networks, which is connected through different telephone network companies that are themselves linked throughout the world. These computers usually connect through a device known as modem whereby computer signals are transmitted through it. More than 50 million people are making use of this service across the globe. The main content on the net is the “World Wide Web” or abbreviated as WWW. There are so many sites on this web that one can sit on the Internet for ages but the sites would not finish. Internet provides visits to different places as well as caters to what a user wants to know – just about anything. There are many search engines from where specific and precise information can be found easily and without any major complexities. It is all free on the Internet to this level but there are certain sites which ask for money in return of their services to the users. The domestic use of Internet is spreading at a fast pace. E-mail is the most famous of the net services that is being used by people all over the world. Other than this, chat programs and voice is also being used all over the world and is quite famous. The Internet can provide latest feeds of sports and discussion events throughout the world which are of significance and with that the most basic use can be the virtual presence of a user whilst he is just hooked on to the Internet and thus receiving real time scores, minutes and feedbacks from the respective events. Then there is the aspect of email newsletters in which latest news are sent off to the terminals or when the related concern is of mobile phones, the Internet plays quite an imperative role there as well. Some of the world’s biggest names which provide latest news and events include the BBC, CNN, Fox News, Al-Jazeera, Sky News, etc. All of these news channels and organizations have their respective websites from where timely and up to the minute information is uploaded. In fact the news and events are updated on a continuous basis. The websites also provide significant and user friendly spaces to the weather forecasts, past archives, headline news, sports events with their related scores and the like, the foreign currency updates and tables, the stock market figures, links to editorials, sub texts to other articles and news which might be of interest to the user, a search catalogue from where the user can find anything of his own liking, the terms and conditions of the organization and so on. On the other hand, Internet is very dangerous for the common users of the Internet who are exposed to raw stuff lying perilously close to the limits of pornography and child molestation. Similarly children can fall prey to the same notion. Internet can be much more disadvantageous than being gainful. The amount of cyber crimes and adult material, which is there on the Internet, is really harmful for young minds. Certain measures have been brought about by different Internet companies, which can restrict the child from accessing the above-mentioned kind of websites as well as preparing different programs, which can allow parents to monitor their kids when they are online. The disadvantages can also exceed down to levels like the cheating of published stuff which is used by students very easily now. They can easily plagiarize and pick out stuff without even quoting the exact source. This is indeed a heinous crime and one that needs to be kept a check in order to follow a more safe and sound educational policy when the relation is of Internet with their academics. More than anything else, we must make sure that the academic world gets more benefits than the other way round when one speaks of the uses and positive roles of the Internet. With this, we touch down upon the roles that the Internet world has brought to the vast amount of users, be them students, teachers or even the layman who wants to know more about the world around him and have an interest in finding out more and more. What Internet can do is diverse his vision and thought process which eventually would help in his own development in the long run. Internet is for the betterment of students and they have to understand the very fact that its proper usage can reap rich dividends. Falling short on the same count can have adverse effects, one which can lead to suspensions and even expulsions from the curriculum, university or college for that matter. The students must be taught their responsibilities when they make use of the information present for them on the Internet and it is duty bound on their part to come up with solid results and excellent research every now and then. The irrelevance of data and information on the Internet can also be gauged from the fact that a lot of information is uncensored and shown without the consent of the party who has to eventually face the wrath and humiliation. Having said that we need to understand that Internet is something that must be made wise use of and in the years to come we will see that the aspect of current affairs and real live happenings will have a role of authenticity and genuineness attached with it. A lot of the stories and events are fabricated way beyond belief which is what the Internet can basically do and this is one thing that needs to be countered in an effective manner nonetheless. The pros and cons of the Internet as a news provider are immense. As stated above, the advantages and disadvantages run hand in hand and there is no denying the fact that both of these make the whole issue of Internet a very dubious one. As for the pros, we need to sum them up again. These include the ways and means through which different users and seekers of news information get the very same; their knowledge is increased and there are a lot of opportunities to gain insights from the Internet. There is the chatting and browsing facility which makes it all the more appealing and one just cannot deny the basis of spending one’s leisure time whilst sitting on a desktop and enjoying to his maximum. The manner in which kids learn from the Internet and know about the events and happenings that are taking place in the world around them is another aspect, one that can be written a lot of things about. The Internet provides a ray of hope for those destitute who cannot find jobs and work from the luxury of their own homes. In this way, they get to earn a lot whilst being self employed and at the same time, get acquainted with the news and events that are shaping up their lives. When we speak of the cons that the Internet brings with it, one has to understand that every marvel that the current times bring with it must surely have some problems and disadvantages. The first and foremost among these is the fact that there is a lot of pornography and child abuse which is present on the Internet and this could seriously be regarded as the biggest drawbacks of the Internet. The uncensored clips and humiliation acts are also something which needs to be discussed as well. Recently the hanging of Saddam Hussein was censored on the television at the end moment, which is in accordance with the international and human rights laws but the Internet went a step further and showed the real hanging event as it was thus exposing to young minds and adults the heinous nature of Internet which it can present from time to time. The effect of Internet on the kids is tremendous since they not only learn from its different features and sub parts but also gain a lot of evils which are pretty much rampant in our society. What this means is that there does not seem to be any control and check mechanism which could see their browsing over the Internet and thus limit the very same within proper boundaries. Also the cons of Internet include spam mails which create agony for email users and junk messages coming from random users. On the part of the authorities who govern the Internet, there should be special rules and litigations which can catch the people who create problems for the users. Internet can be real beneficial if it is used in the best manner possible and its advantages must surely outweigh the cons that Internet presents to all and sundry. In the end, it would be proper to suggest that the governments need to play their righteous roles when it comes to creating awareness and spreading timely and up to date news. The quest is to explore the world of Internet and track down the significant aspects which are within it and when the same has been ascertained in entirety, and then only we can fathom that there has been a positive turn for all concerned. The users and more than anyone else, those related with the quest of finding out about current affairs and so on are the actual winners and it is up to their respective domains as to how they employ the benefits and uses of the Internet. The Internet is a big platform for finding out just about every knowledge and information related with this world and even the whole universe. It can calculate the minutest of details. The new generation of present times owes a lot of gratitude to the people who made this dream come true and they must show the same in the form of its correct usage at all times possible. All said and done, the best usage of Internet would only bring about the very best out of the users themselves and in doing so; they would ensure that they are learning a whole lot more from the magic of Internet. Thus the justification is pretty much there when we fathom that the Internet is indeed a true source of information and knowledge for everyone. The need is to understand the correct usage and then employ the same in the search boundaries. BIBLIOGRAPHY Fagin, Barry S. (2002). Intellectual Freedom and Social Responsibility: As We Grow More Dependent on the Internet, We Grow More Vulnerable. World and I, Vol. 17 Jackson, Charles L. (2001). The Origins of the Internet - A Research Effort in the Department of Defenses Advanced Projects Research Agency Led to Many of the Innovations That Power Todays Internet. World & I, Vol. 16 Jackson, Linda A. (2005). How Low-Income Children Use the Internet at Home. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, Vol. 16 Gattiker, Urs E. (2001). The Internet as a Diverse Community: Cultural, Organizational, and Political Issues. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Word Count: 2,060 Read More