Impact of Internet on Society - Research Paper Example

Impact of Internet on Society Abstract The Internet has been accepted as a part of life in the word today. To what extent is the Internet changing the everyday lives of individuals and economies? The third world countries have received the Internet with some extent of excitement. It is not clear whether the significance of the Internet in developing countries is being documented. The impact of the Internet has not been institutionalized in most developing countries. It is typically seen as a social revolution which governments are taking too long to embrace. To what extent have the governments embraced the Internet as a tool for development? This research seeks to find out what governments need to address so as to make the Internet a tool for development. While many researchers have tackled this topic, there is a gap with regard to the failure of developing countries to entirely invest in the Internet. Besides, many of these researches have not fully addressed the significance of the Internet in key sectors that touch on the youth. The youths form the majority population in most of these countries. There is silence on the relationship between the Internet and pluralism, and this report seeks to deal with that. In conclusion, the Internet revolution needs the government to be in control of it as opposed to being laid back as it seems at the moment. This is a challenge to developing countries to rethink the significance of the Internet. Introduction Problem statement “Impacts of internet in developing countries have not been fully acknowledged.” Explanation Almost everybody in the world knows something about the phenomenon called the Internet. It has sparked a lot of excitement. Most governments in the third world countries perceive internet to be a youth’s issue. They tend to under-estimate the influence of the Internet in the growth of the economy. More importantly, they tend to imagine that Internet is a short time happening. This has caused the government not to invest in the necessary infrastructure to facilitate growth through internet. In most developing countries, the Internet is appreciated by the private sector. The governments remain rigid. This has caused the citizens to lose quality services and opportunities that come through internet. The few sectors that have experienced growth through internet tend to be down played. This is the reason we must do this research. We have to demonstrate to third world countries that internet and economic growth cannot be separated in modern times. In doing this, we have to point out some of the visible impacts of the Internet. The Internet is a combination of two words which are “international” and “network.” It is a phenomenon that has helped link the world so that it operates like a unit. It has created a platform that cuts across international boundaries and continents. People of different races and cultures can now interact and share ideas and opinions at a click of a mouse (Atwood & Gallo, 2011). More and more computers are continuing to be manufactured. It is fascinating to observe that computers are considered less useful unless they are connected to the Internet. This is because the effectiveness of a computer is being made to depend on Internet connection. According to Botha and Bothma (2008), people have already felt a tremendous change. The Internet has become an immensely key aspect of growth and development. Children in schools are being taught how to use it. In high school, it is one of the major subjects. More and more computer related degrees and diplomas are being awarded. This research seeks to show the relevance of the Internet in the world today and the significance of the Internet especially to societies in developing countries. Botha and Bothma (2008) explained that it seeks to establish whether the Internet is a prerequisite to economic success and prosperity in the world today, especially in third world countries. Literature Review One of the major impacts of the Internet is the ability of pluralism. This is the ability for two or more people to meet in a virtual environment. In this atmosphere, these people can discuss real issues or adopt new traits. The Internet allows people to be in a digital realm where they can create an impact to the society. It allows people to share new ideas and carry out real deals. Through the Internet, five or more people can be communicating without having to affect their physical environment. Someone can be speaking through a cell phone while, at the same time, overseeing a construction project in a remote place. It is now possible to watch global events such as the Olympics from a laptop through live proceedings. According to Botha and Bothma (2008), this does not mean that one has to stop what they are doing. Study shows that when people are watching events, they become as moved as the people who are witnessing the event at the exact place of the event. For instance, the funeral of Princess Diana that people around the world were watching and crying as if they were there at the funeral grounds. Another excellent example is when a soccer team scores. Fans shout and scream yet they could be watching from another continent (Botha & Bothma, 2008). Pluralism cannot be achieved fully without the mentioning of mobile phones. Through the Internet, it is possible to watch television from a mobile phone while travelling in a car (Cebulko, 2007). In addition, it is possible to post a message on a social website or respond to an email. This digital realm allows people to take the characters they want and try to relate with other people in the same realm. We now have an Internet society with its own culture. Doubling, tippling or even pluralism through the Internet is helping many people appreciate different cultures and also learn to accept people with contrasting opinions. The Internet and education cannot be separated. According to Dunkels and Frånberg (2010), the Internet has risen to become a new way of facilitating studies. This has grown so strong that we now have classes happening in the digital environment. This is called e-learning or electronic learning. This is where a lecturer addresses students through the computer, without having to ever meet them physically (Guerrieri, 2011). The students submit assignments and examinations just like in the traditional physical learning, except that this time they do it through the Internet. This does not mean that students cannot ask questions. They can chat online with the lecturers, or try a video call. This in itself saves a lot of time and money. Most of the online students are the working class. They study from home and also pay from home. They find it inconvenient to travel to an institution because of other commitments. At the end of the day, they gain the same competence as the students who attend classes physically. According to Inoue (2007), the other aspect of electronic learning is the presence of search engines that can gather global information. They have made learning and research quite convenient because students access a lot of information within a remarkably short period of time. This has significantly added to the quality of research and education standards. The emergence of electronic libraries means that students have a wide selection of books at the click of a button. It is not possible physically to carry all the books from the shelves. The Internet avails this to students. Students are only required to subscribe and access not only the books but also the history of the authors (Jones, 2008). This means that less time is spent searching from books, which leads to better quality studies. According to Makewa (2009), it is also possible to buy the electronic books through the same Internet channel. Lecturers and students have been able to appeal to the global audience by posting their researches and theses. Lecturers now have global classes, whose interaction creates a bigger impact on the society. Specialists are able to learn from ideas that are posted by other specialists from the same field. Besides, in case of any urgent need, help is easy to come by. For instance, a surgeon who is stuck in a procedure can consult another surgeon via phone. Institutions of learning can now post syllabuses on their websites for students to prepare ahead of the semester. Major announcements are also made on such websites and this keeps students well informed (Seib, 2012). The Internet has had a substantial and tremendous impact on trade. According to Makewa (2009), trade is the buying and selling of goods and services with an aim of making a profit. The Internet has literally transformed trade. The introduction of electronic commerce has changed the sphere of influence of many entrepreneurs. Marketing can now be done on the Internet. Social media are a particularly convenient place to advertise to millions who visit the sites. Companies and multinationals have created highly interactive websites. According to Inoue (2007), it is now possible to carry out a transaction online. This means that a business person does not have to be present physically. This saves a lot of time. Goods are ordered and monitored through Internet enabled systems. Money is deposited in virtual accounts. This has almost made every good accessible globally. This means that companies have customers whom they may never meet physically. Yet these customers are reliable and dependable clients. Complaints or complements can be sent through the Internet (Jones, 2008). Communication is complete without physical presence. This means that governments can discuss various bilateral issues on the Internet. Through the Internet, e-commerce lovers are able to locate products in a remarkably fast way (Seib, 2012). Shopping is no longer about pulling carts or walking from shop to shop. They do not have to spend a lot of time trying to scout for their products. These customers just navigate through the e-commerce websites and click on the products they want. This is exceptionally cost effective. Some of the websites remember the customer preferences for easier location if the customer comes for a repeat purchase. Through e-commerce, transport time is spent doing other more constructive things (Jones, 2008). This also applies to transport cost. Some people can go even across continents, trying to purchase some products, and the venture turns out to be quite expensive. The Internet makes shopping extremely easy. A customer can visit as many e-commerce websites as possible before deciding on where to buy the item. This simply means the customer has a better chance to make quality decisions as compared to the traditional shopping style which involves being physically present in a shopping mall and getting information physically. According to Seib (2012), it is worth noting that e-commerce happens at any time of the day or night. One can shop and buy any time they feel like. The transaction, too, happens extremely fast as less paper work is involved in the process. Moreover, the use of credit card has made it possible to purchase services without having to access the bank physically (Jones, 2008). Entertainment has been altered by the introduction of the Internet. It has created a medium though which better video games can be acquired; music can be purchased online besides being downloaded. Entertainment events are announced through the Internet, and it is also possible to confirm attendance or even pay the entrance fee through the Internet. According to Atwood and Gallo (2011), the latest movies are advertised through websites and the customers have a chance of watching some free trailers on some websites. Music variety is now available by a click of the mouse. Thousands of recorded tracks are available on music sites. Through the Internet, music and movies can be played, entertainment software can be purchased, and live performances can be streamed as they happen. Entertainers have a global audience (Dunkels & Frånberg, 2010). They can impact billions of people without having to leave their countries. The Internet has had a positive impact on governance. Citizens of different countries meet on the Internet and compare and contrast different governments. Through social media, people have been able to rise against dictatorships. Democracies have been strengthened as politicians seek to use the influence of social media to win support. On several occasions, presidents have used the social media to announce national events. For example, in Nigeria, the president announced that he was running for a second term though Facebook. According to Guerrieri (2011), the recent Arab spring has caused some governments to block some websites for fear that their citizens will rise against them. The uprising was significantly facilitated through social websites. Posts and videos of desperate people fighting for liberty and freedom were seen on the websites such as YouTube. This demonstrates that the Internet has empowered people to the extent that they want to influence how they are governed (Dunkels & Frånberg, 2010). In developing countries, corrupt leaders are pressured to resign by the electorate. The Internet has created an environment where people can question their leaders without going through proxies (Dunkels & Frånberg, 2010). Leaders in emerging democracies are being coerced to be more accountable to their people or face a backlash. Parliamentary debates are being televised live as they happen. The quality of these debates is being monitored by the electorate as they want to feel their interests being addressed by their own leaders. Presidential speeches are also streamed through the Internet so that people in the Diaspora can get to know the policies of their respective governments. Generally speaking, more and more information is being accessed by the people with regard to the forms of governance occurring in the world. Web streaming is a technology that allows media such as video and other multimedia to be transmitted through the Internet. According to Inoue (2007), this means that events can be covered and broadcast as they happen through a website. This technology has continued to gain momentum as more and more people continue to embrace it. Governments have not been left out in this technology (Dunkels & Fran berg, 2010). We have seen political events, church services, international competitions and other activities being streamed through the Internet. We now have Internet radios (Dunkels & Frånberg, 2010). Online radios are known to keep track of the numbers of people who are tuned in. This helps them make the necessary changes especially in advertising themselves. Traditional radios cannot tell exactly how many people are tuned in and where those people are situated. The other aspect about these radios is that they are free. As long as an individual is accessing the Internet, he/she can access this radio. What is more exciting about this radio is that they are easy to access. One only needs to follow a link and access the station of his choice. Seib (2012) argues that the Internet opens another virtual space that can keep a person entertained as he proceeds with their work or any other activity on the Internet. The Internet has impacted the morals and values of the society. The impacts have been both negative and positive. The ability of young people and especially the adolescents to access pornographic sites has been a paramount concern to the parents. Too much information is available without much control or regulation. This means that the impact of teachers and parents has substantially been watered down by some of these developments (Cebulko, 2007). The Internet has caused some cultures to evolve as more youths tend to identify with the new Internet culture. It has been argued that the Internet has contributed to erosion of some morals (Cebulko, 2007). Moreover, Internet transactions have been made hard by fraudsters who swindle unsuspecting Internet users. The presence of hackers and crackers have made some emails insecure, which means that information that is private can be accessed by the public or even used against a person or a group. For example, in email accounts, spam messages can jam any account. This research made some observations and key findings. The Internet has grown into an undisputed global phenomenon which impact cannot be wished away. Besides, the Internet has an enormous impact on those who have access to it. This means that poor infrastructure continues to block people from embracing the changes that come together with the Internet (Guerrieri, 2011). This is especially common in third world countries. While the Internet has a positive significance to the lives of people, it can cause them to discard some healthy traditions. This is because they are considered traditional and hence backward. For instance, the introduction of online learning, video conferencing and chat rooms can never substitute the physical interaction between a teacher and students (Dunkels & Frånberg 2010). According to Botha and Bothma (2008), the presence of the Internet has made people take up multiple roles in the present day lives, which makes them fail to become extremely proficient in specific fields. Take a case of someone who is revising for an online examination, and is expected to perform at his workplace. This multitasking, eventually, affects the quality of service that is offered. The ability of extremely young children to access explicit adult contents eventually causes some of them to try to experiment what they watch, leading to immorality (Cebulko, 2007). If this happens for a long time, then it affects the overall moral standing of the society. It is recommended that while the Internet has a lot of advantages, governments should come up with enough means of making sure that the gains are not eroded through ignorance. An argument by Castells (2011) suggests that the government should come up with a policy that necessitates its agencies to embrace Internet usage and online services to its citizens. Furthermore, Internet services should be affordable to all people. This means, if need be, that the government should subsidize online services in developing countries. Moreover, these governments should install the requisite infrastructure for the people to optimize Internet usage (Cebulko, 2007). Online shoppers should be protected from fraudsters. There should be legislations that discourage these crimes through cyber policing. Online transactions should pass the credibility test. Further research should be conducted to predict the future of internet-working. Is it predicable or it is simply a revolution that is out of our control? The gains and challenges can only be preserved and eliminated respectively. This will happen when there is a thorough understanding of the trends of the Internet in the near and unforeseen future. According to Guerrieri (2011), failure to do that will leave us waiting for the consequences as opposed to managing this magnificent phenomenon. Conclusion The Internet has brought many changes into the world. The fields of commerce, education and entertainment are just but a few crucial fields. The Internet has had a great impact on the lives of people socially. More information is now in circulation. Better decisions can be made and the society is more informed. These gains need to be consolidated. This will take good government policies, integrity and determination. The usage of the Internet is on the rise in developing countries. There is a hope that this will hasten the development of these countries if proper steps are taken. References Atwood, J. D., & Gallo, C. (2011). The effects of the Internet on social relationships: Therapeutic considerations (p. 190). iUniverse. Botha, J., & Bothma, C. (2008). Managing e-commerce in business (2nd ed.). (pp. 300–410). Juta and Company Ltd. Castells, M. (2011). The rise of the network society (The information age: Economy, society, and culture, volume 1) (p. 350). Cebulko, S. (2007). The Impact of Internet pornography on married women: A psychodynamic perspective (p. 18). Cambria Press. Dunkels, E., & Frånberg, G. M. (2010). Youth culture and net culture: Online social practices. (p. 256). IGI Global. Guerrieri, P. (2011). The economic impact of digital technologies: Measuring inclusion and diffusion in Europe (p. 283). Inoue, Y. (2007). Online education for lifelong learning (pp. 97–105). Idea Group Inc (IGI). Jones, S. (2008). Internet goes to college: How students are living in the future with today's technology (pp. 11–23). Washington DC: DIANE Publishing. Makewa, L. N. (2009). The impact of the Internet on research and instruction in universities of East Africa: A study of Makerere University, University of Dar-es-Salaam and Kenyatta (pp. 3–5). GRIN Verlag. Seib, P. (2012). Real-time diplomacy: Politics and power in the social media era (p. 49). New York: Palgrave Macmillan. Read More