Has the interent made the world a better place?

Question

It's probably been asked before but when you really think about it, are we better off now than we were in the era before the Internet. I grew up in the late 70's and 80's and things seemed so much more simple, if you needed information you wen't to the library and a computer was for writing papers so you didn't have to use a type writer. In the grand scheme of things are we better off having almost limitless information at our fingertips?

Answer 1

Of course - all advancements are great if used for the proper end. The problem with the Internet is not the Internet itself but what people use it for.

Answer 2

There are the scams, porn sites, ads for prostitution, and young girls in college dorms with cams doing things they surely would have not done otherwise but, the Internet doesn't do these things, people do them. The biggest culprits are the large outfits like AOL and Yahoo who let these things appear on their networks for money when you can refuse to do business with anyone. They call it free speech when the Internet is a public form of media and should be held to the same standards as public television. They tell you that they have installed parental controls so you can stop your child from getting into things that they shouldn't be but it doesn't stop children and they know it. The best thing to do is write the advertisers on your ISP's home page and copy the local newspaper.

That being said, the Internet, has put the world of information at everyone's finger tips and an effective communications infrastructure along with education and transportation are the three main ingrediants in the successful development of any country. These are the things that caused the U.S. to leap ahead of every other country in the world. With the development of broadband and the Internet, there is no reason why anyone should not receive an education. Educated people develop better transportation and communications systems which lead to better commerce and better health care. If a doctor is puzzled by the symptoms of a patient, he can communicate with other medical colleges and facilities around the world. Right now, you can get free information on any topic you want from almost any university in the world.

If you end up living on the East coast and your family is on the West coast, with a DSL line and a cheap cam, you can share Christmas dinner with them. If you and your friends all over the world download and install the same VOIP software, you can sit and talk to them all day on a VoIP connection for free.

The benefits provided over the Internet far outway the irresponsibilities of a few.

Answer 3

I can understand your feeling that things may have been simpler in the pre-internet days, and whenever we reminisce about the past there is a sense that maybe it was better. But I have to say that I think, overall, the Net has improved our world. Like you said, it supplies almost limitless information in mere seconds. And I feel that anything that can supply information to the masses is good. True, there is alot of crap on the Web, but whenever new technology goes public there is some abuse. So we have to take the good with the bad.
In his book "The Earth is Flat" which was all about new technology "leveling the playing field" between countries, the author said he felt the internet was a primary cause for the collaps of the USSR! He surmised that people had access to outside information for the first time, and that a dictatorship or oppressive government can only work when the masses have no access to educations. I believe that! So I equate the Net with more freedom which is always a good thing!

Answer 4

I think that it's like a coin- it has two sides. I'm a child of the seventies myself,and things did seem simpler and saner then than they do now.
I just got a computer a few months ago, and now realize how much I'd been missing out on. I think the internet is good on the whole, but it's potential for abuse has been made pretty evident too.
I'm still in awe of what is on the net, and just learning the possibilities of how to exploit that information to the fullest potential it can provide.
When it is used properly with no bad intent, I think the world has gotten just a little closer due to the net, and people can understand their neighbors and draw on the wealth of knowledge that the net can provide.
I think it's too cool that I can now e-mail my friends in England, when I used to rely on the telephone and the letter. Did I answer your question?

Answer 5

As far as the world is concerned, it has made it a better place, because it gives virtually everybody in the world access to information. It therefore becomes much harder for a tyrant to control what their people read about or don't. It has given people from all over the world the occasion to communicate easily and can only lead, in that sense, to more understanding.
Things are not perfect of course, and places like North Korea can still control people by preventing them access to computers, while China attempts to censor what can be seen on a computer in China, but they aren't being entirely successful.
But in the end, I think the Internet is a positive tool to bring humanity closer together.

Answer 6

Why not? It gives you something to do when you are bored. besides, I have learned a lot surfing the Internet, and I like the convenience of being able to find or order almost any thing that I want to whenever I want to. I don't have to worry about the stores or the library being open.

I have also met people from all over the world that I otherwise never would have crossed paths with.

Answer 7

it is better in some areas and worse in others. for example, it is great to have email to communicate with loved ones, family, etc, and horrible to get spammed with porn adds (in my opinion). every good advance in technology usually has a a corresponding down side.

Answer 8

I love the Beatles! So yes they did <3

Answer 9

IF THE INFO IS CORRECT, WE'RE BETTER OFF
BUT I HAVE SEEN MANY ERRORS ON SITES SO I NO LONGER
TAKE WHAT THE SITE SAYS AS TRUE UNLESS I CAN BACK IT UP WITH AT LEAST 3 OTHER SITES.

Answer 10

i think its a 50/50. its helped because of all the GOOD websites. then there are the REALLY gay and stupid pointless pornography sites. that are completley pointless and lead to everyone f^cking eachother.........