(Akiit.com) Since the inception of the internet age in the early 90s, many of us have been glued to a world online ever since.
And that’s fine, to an extent.
For the most part, the internet is a good thing.
The virtual landscape offers us a wealth of entertainment possibilities. With games to play, films to watch, and blogs to read, we need never be bored again.
We don’t have to take the bus into the city when we want to do our shopping, as we can buy what we need at the touch of a button.
We can study online, with degree courses that don’t necessitate the need to step into the real-world classroom environment.
And the internet offers us hope in this age of job uncertainty and recession. With the opportunity to start our own businesses using nothing but a good idea and a website, we can do much to boost our income. In some cases, the internet can even make us rich, as we can invest on trading sites, become YouTube famous, and market our businesses to more people than we could have done otherwise.
All praise the power of the internet then.
Or perhaps not. Sorry to say it, but the internet is sometimes a bad thing.
Because let’s be honest, how many hours have you spent online today?
Many of us spend longer than we should online, and because of this, we lose out on face-to-face connections with people (Skype doesn’t count).
We spend less time exercising as we confine ourselves to our armchairs.
We waste valuable time when we should be working, so rather than make a profit for our boss or business, we run the risk of making a loss instead.
Social media can be useful, but we can base our entire social life around it.
And those ‘just one more’ YouTube or Netflix binges can play havoc with our sleeping patterns.
Boo to the internet then, for wrapping us up in its virtual environs.
And then boo some more, because the ugly side of the internet can’t be denied.
Offline businesses, both large and small, struggle to keep up with their online competitors. Think about the stores that have closed down in your town, for example.
Online businesses struggle too, not only because of the number of internet rivals they have to contend with but because of the risks of cybercrime too.
Our children are being bullied mercilessly on social media. And when they’re not being bullied by others, they are bullying themselves by basing their identities on the number of likes they get on Facebook, and the number of followers they have on their networking channels.
And then there’s pornography, which can ensnare any one of us into its addictive web.
Should we hate the internet then?
Not at all, but we need to be wise.
We should limit our time online and spend time doing other things, such as seeing friends, exercising our joints, and engaging with our hobbies.
We should support local businesses instead of shopping online for every thing we want or need.
Online business owners should firewall their computers and check out the VPN options reviewed at https://vpncoffee.com.
And we should look after our children, so they don’t become addicted to the online world.
The internet isn’t a bad thing.
But we do need to be mindful.
Are we right? What do you think?
Speak your mind below!
Staff Writer; Steve Adams