Introduction to Communication: The Internet - Essay Example

Introduction to Communication: The Internet (Fill in with your information etc Introduction to Communication: The Internet Communication is a vital and significant part of all of our everyday lives. As a society in general, we rely and revel in communication as a part of our daily existence. The art and act of communication itself has changed throughout the years; the characteristics and logistics involved have been altered dramatically, especially so in regards to the advances in the technologic field.

The Internet is one means which drastically changed the way in which we communicate forever. In order to truly understand what a great influence the Internet was and has been, and to see how it makes the market system (i.e. resource allocation around the world) work better, the following questions must be addressed:1. What impact does the Internet have on the needs of people2. What impact does the Internet have on employment3. What impact does the Internet have on other communication media4. What impact does the Internet have on politics, authority and world securityBy thoroughly discussing these four questions, we can come to a clearer and more knowledgeable viewpoint on this subject matter.

This is what will be dissertated in the following.What Impact Does the Internet Have on the Needs of People The Internet is easily one of the most impacting communicational tools of today. Used daily as a worldwide means of communication media, the Internet has created a place for itself in the modern world. Most people in the present day could not imagine their life without the Internet, and quite frankly, wouldn't want to. The Internet has "wrought wonders: e-commerce has flourished, and e-mail has become a ubiquitous means of communication.

Almost one billion people now use the Internet, and critical industries like banking increasingly rely on it." (Talbot, 2005). At the same time however, it has been considered that the Internet's shortcomings have resulted in decreased security and lessened abilities to accommodate new technologies. As Internet elder statesman and onetime chief protocol architect David D. Clark points out: "We are at an inflection point, a revolution pointWe might just be at the point where the utility of the Internet stalls - and perhaps turns downward.

" (Talbot, 2005).What Impact Does the Internet Have on Employment The most recognizable impact that the Internet has on employment is that of travel - or lack of it. In other words, a person could be living in New York while 'working' in Los Angeles, via the Internet. Not only have a significant number of employment opportunities opened up since the introduction of the Internet, but the means of telecommunication is of great importance as well. The popularity of the Internet as a job searching and job advertising tool has also grown, namely because it provides easy access to a wealth of information, right at your fingertips, any time of the day or night.

Data in regards to career information, companies, cities, and career planning services are all available here, and the Internet also allows you to make those all-important contacts with potential employers while demonstrating a basic level of computer literacy. Again, there are some drawbacks. "Most importantly, many employers still prefer the traditional methods of advertising and filling positions and lots of jobs never make it to the Internet." ("AWRA", 2002).What Impact Does the Internet Have on Other Communication Media Media is a mass communication, and the Internet is one of its most large and influential forms.

The Internet, as a form of communication and education, has become more popular and commonplace. The Internet had greatly impacted our other forms of communication media; for one, it has somewhat taken over the realm of communication media altogether. Examples of media other than the Internet are things such as TV, periodicals, music, and radio. When considering these things next to the Internet, it is easy to see that the rest of the forms are overshadowed by the Internet's dominating presence.

What Impact Does the Internet Have on Politics, Authority and World Security "Like other new technologies, the Internet has been proclaimed the instigator of a social revolution" (Davis, 1999). A key element in this is the factor of something called Internet activism. Internet activism uses Internet communications technologies to enable faster communications and coordination by citizen movements. In other words, the Internet is clearly significantly impacting the politics and authority of the world.

"The Internet has also made it easier for small donors to play a meaningful role in financing political campaigns." This is for the most part due to the fact that "Previously, small-donor fundraising was prohibitively expensive, as costs of printing and postage ate up most of the money raisedhowevergroups like MoveOn have found that they can raise large amounts of money from small donors at minimal cost, with credit card transaction fees constituting their biggest expense." ("Wikipedia", 2006).

It is clear that through all of these forms, the Internet has a relevant and highly substantial impact on the world, and will continue to do so in many ways, especially as the span of technology continues to increase.References"APD". (n.d.). About Planning Directory. Retrieved March 29, 2006, from http://www.aboutplanning.org/directory.html"AWRA". (2002). Searching for Water Resources Jobs on the Internet. Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://www.awra.org/impact/jobs.htmlDavis, R. (1999). The Web of Politics: The Internet's Impact on the American Political System.

New York: Oxford University Press.Talbot, D. (2005). The Internet is Broken. Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://www.technologyreview.com/InfoTech-Networks/wtr_16051,258,p1.htmlTalvitie, J. (2003). The Impact of Information and Communication Technology on Urban and Regional Planning. Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:T5AIDy_FX80J:www.tkk.fi/Yksikot/Kiinteisto/julkaisut/verkkojulkaisut/julkaisuB106.pdf+the+impact+the+internet+has+on+urban+and+regional+planning&hl=en&gl=ca&ct=clnk&cd=7Wadhwani, S. (2000). The Impact of the Internet on UK Inflation.

Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://72.14.207.104/searchq=cache:7h2L1ziCdmIJ:www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/speeches/2000/speech72.pdf+impact+Internet+has+on+UK&hl=en&gl=uk&ct=clnk&cd=8"Wikipedia". (2006). Internet Activism. Retrieved March 30, 2006, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_activism