The internet and society...

[mountain_tiger]

Link to original post: [drupal=3313]The internet and society...[/drupal]



Over the past 15 years, the internet has been one of the fastest growing things in... well, all of history really. Until the early 1990s it was unavailable to the general public: it's now 2010, and it's become a fundamental part of modern society. It's used for bank transactions, shopping, advertising, publishing, practically anything you want it to do. And it's not just limited to desktops: games consoles, iPhones, iPads, Blackberries, most mobiles etc. etc. Sites like Facebook have gone from being a university-exclusive niche to the cornerstone of peoples' social lives, with literally hundreds of millions of members.

Now, the internet is a fantastic invention, but sometimes it feels like society is a bit... too reliant on it. To give a practical example, I was trying to find a part-time job, just like at the supermarket or something, and when I queried about it, their response was, 'Oh, we don't do applications instore any more, it's all done on the internet. Take this card for more information.' Other chain stores say similar things. I couldn't help but think that this kind of screws over anyone who doesn't have the internet, since they'd have a harder time finding jobs. The amount of people without internet access is around 25-30%, in other words 75 million people in the USA. Yes, they could use an internet cafe, but if they have to use that too often it can end up costing more than the computer they likely couldn't afford in the first place!

Compare this to televisions. The vast majority of people have one, but if you choose not to (or you can't afford it), no one penalises you for it.

Also, nowadays you have children as young as two who are taught to surf the internet, and websites designed specifically for such an age group. I personally don't think children should be taught this so early, when they don't even need it. They could easily be tricked, targeted by pedos or end up having some morbid banner flash up without warning.

The question is: what will the internet be like in another ten years or so? Will this exponential growth continue, or will it stagnate and level off? Put simply, it's a great resource, but you can have too much of a good thing.

 

[Jam Stunna]

Link to original post: [drupal=3313]The internet and society...[/drupal]




Also, nowadays you have children as young as two who are taught to surf the internet, and websites designed specifically for such an age group. I personally don't think children should be taught this so early, when they don't even need it. They could easily be tricked, targeted by pedos or end up having some morbid banner flash up without warning.

The question is: what will the internet be like in another ten years or so? Will this exponential growth continue, or will it stagnate and level off? Put simply, it's a great resource, but you can have too much of a good thing.

You don't have to teach a two year old how to surf the web, my son learned it entirely on his own. He asks me to turn on the computer for him so he can watch Youtube videos, and he only watches videogame videos (mostly Smash) or Virtual Insanity by Jamaroqui. If it's there, they learn it, and trying to keep them from it only makes them want it more.

As for internet reliance, the internet is basically a utility now, and if it's not now, it will be eventually. You can make the argument that we're too dependent on electricity, municipal water, cars, grocery stores, etc., and that if any of those things suddenly stopped functioning, alot of people would starve and freeze to death. But what's the alternative, to go off the grid? That's just unfeasible. Internet doesn't just make modern life easier, it makes modern life possible, and we're well past the point of questioning it's merits, because as you found out when you tried to apply for a job, it's totally integrated into society already.

 

[mountain_tiger]

You don't have to teach a two year old how to surf the web, my son learned it entirely on his own. He asks me to turn on the computer for him so he can watch Youtube videos, and he only watches videogame videos (mostly Smash) or Virtual Insanity by Jamaroqui. If it's there, they learn it, and trying to keep them from it only makes them want it more.

That's a very smart son you've got there, I must say. I don't know, I just find the idea of a child that's not even fully toilet trained... odd.

 

[¯\_S.(ツ).L.I.D._/¯]

Kids are smarter than they're generally given credit for.

 

[Sephiroths Masamune]

I know my friends little sister knew how to use the internet by age 3. I agree with mountain tiger that we shouldn't let kids that old be on the internet. A way to help keep them off until they're older, is to not use it so much ourselves. Kids learn how to do things by watching they're parents.

 

[rvkevin]

I couldn't help but think that this kind of screws over anyone who doesn't have the internet, since they'd have a harder time finding jobs. The amount of people without internet access is around 25-30%, in other words 75 million people in the USA.

Public libraries exist for a reason.

 

[Mr.Freeman]

The internet's gonna be pretty big as the years go on. We can surf the web on the go now, imagine what its gonna be like in 5 or 10 years from now.

 

[REL38]

I personally have no problem with kids being on the net, but only when supervised


Considering the certain risks, a 7 year old shouldn't be on the PC alone

 

[Kinzer]

Link to original post: [drupal=3313]Also, nowadays you have children as young as two who are taught to surf the internet, and websites designed specifically for such an age group. I personally don't think children should be taught this so early, when they don't even need it.

Ah~, the wonder's of advertising to a very gullible audience for easy money. Whether or not you think it's right doesn't change the fact that there's a lot of market to be had with small children. :/

 

[SuperBowser]

I was taught to use a computer in MS-DOS mode and was opening up files/games by 3 and a half years old. I remember the first time I got to use a black and white printer to show my dad a picture I drew; at the time it was amazing! As long as the parents are OK with it, I don't see anything wrong in letting kids use new technology.


I passed the first two years of my university course on almost exclusively internet materials (yay wikipedia). The internet is pretty good :D

 

[Deleted member]

To be fair, I agree. Yes I got my application for Albertson by Internet, but I would also get mad if that was the only way. I agree that people like myself are way too relient on the Internet.

 

[Firus]

Kids are smarter than they're generally given credit for.

Yes, so long as the parents are not stupider than they're given credit for.

While the internet is a very useful tool, it does bug me how much we've come to rely on it. Facebook bugs the crap out of me especially, and Twitter. On one hand it's great that we can communicate and share so easily, on the other hand, we are now publishing on the internet every little thing we do. The worst part is that I really don't want to use Facebook, but being able to easily communicate with long-distance friends in such a manner is useful to the extent that I have trouble not using it at all.

We've got easy access to all kinds of information -- some good, some bad, some just allows us to become lazier and lazier.

The internet allows us to do things that we never could before, however -- just look at the Brawl hacking community. Not only are there codes and such that have been shared to create a constantly developing competitive set, but custom creations from the built-in stages to entirely new ones are shared, and people like Phantom Wings and Kryal have been able to make amazing discoveries and utilities for EVERYONE to pitch in on hacking Brawl, and proceed to share their creations with the world.

What it really comes down to, to me, is this: the internet is too useful of a utility to simply ignore, leave behind, or avoid; but it can suck you in too much if you're not careful, which is why I think that you need to at least acknowledge that the internet is like everything else -- good in moderation. If you can realize and process that, you're unlikely to wind up completely drowned in it.

 

[El Nino]

The amount of people without internet access is around 25-30%, in other words 75 million people in the USA.

That number is probably higher if you look at the world at large. I remember reading about one organization working to develop computers for low-income people in rural regions so they could have Internet access. The initial designs were highly durable, able to withstand being rained on, and able to function on low power.

I think if you rely entirely on the Internet to give you an accurate representation of all the people in the world, you won't find it there. At least, not yet.

what's the alternative, to go off the grid?

I think there are those who do so, whether by choice or by birth. Either way, I find myself respecting those types of people more and more as we head into this future of interconnection and as my own feelings toward it become more and more ambivalent.

 

[Zook]

As a person who grew up on the internet, I'm not sure whether I'm beginning to hate it or love it even more. It has entertained me in a way not possible in any other media, made me new friends and allows me to easily stay connected with old ones, fueled my thirst for knowledge (aka pointless trivia), provided me an outlet to express myself personally, creatively, and (rarely) intellectually to hundreds of people, and has allowed me to discover many facets of my personality that would otherwise take years to reveal.

But, at the same time, it has me completely hooked, slightly out of touch with reality, and all that jazz. As I mature, I'm beginning to feel a small urge to become a hermit.

 

[Browny]

I'd like to continue on what you touched on about FB growing from an university-niche website and the younger age at which kids become addicted with my own experiences. FB is a perfect example of potential dangers on the internet, not because of stalking (which is already bad enough), but because of how young kids are addicted to it (therefore the internet) and the severe consequences to countries overall when skills suffer.

I went through university in 2006-2009 so when I started, FB wasnt even around. Myspace was 'in' but not many people used it and very few had phones/notepads to browse it during the day. Come 2009, every second student either has a notepad/phone capable of browsing FB and the amount of students spending all day on the internet either on fb/youtube is extremely worrying. Many of my friends fell into this and were spending upwards of 4 hours every day on facebook, and every single lecture had multiple students spending the entire hour on FB. No surprise that the average grades for classes has been slipping in the last few years.

Thats bad enough, but what worries me is that this trend now affects high school, and even PRIMARY school kids (< 13 years old here in aus). I see some family friends and cousins who somehow manage to update their FB with all the lastest youtube videos they have watched constantly during school hours. Is it no surprise that universities in this country are recording lower student enrolements every single year, and the cut-off rank to get into the very difficult courses is plummeting, having to let in students who normally wouldnt even be looked at, into the prestigious courses just to get numbers so the uni can make a profit?

Of course the internet cant be held entirely accountable, anything that kids do in their free time will cause this. However it seems pretty clear it is a large contributing factor.

This saddens me because I went through a high school which wasnt very academically focused, student numbers in specialist maths and chemistry classes hit an all time low in my senior year and my very enthusiastic teachers were depressed not only because their passion was dying, but because they found themselves without jobs. The years after I left the difficult courses needed to be merged with another high school and the poor students who want to learn this subjects are horribly inconvenienced by the massive unpopularity of these subjects. Its a pure assumption, but I do believe societies addiction to the internet causes this. No one these days wants to spend 3+ hours every single night doing homework when that will impact on their internet time. If I was addicted to the internet as I am now, 5 years ago in my senior year, my grades would have suffered badly too.