So, the World Wide Web is thirty years old today. Happy Birthday, but is it really something to celebrate, or is the internet the biggest evil of our century?
There's no doubt that it has made life more interesting, the way we now have a whole library at our disposal in our own homes. A few clicks and we can find out about anything we like. We can study subjects to further our education, there are distance learning courses, and we can learn new skills from videos posted by people who have all ready worked out how to do something. We can join communities of like minded people, always someone to talk to on forums so nobody needs to feel isolated and alone.
The internet has given me a hobby, an outlet for my creative juices, which helps keep my brain ticking over. Putting words together to make some kind of sense is an extension of me being creative with my hands. I need to run the two skills side by side to enrich my life. My head is never silent.
Then there's the dark side of the WWW. Where there are gains to be had, there are also evils to contend with. I remember when I was younger, before I had a computer, my world was a very much smaller place. I didn't take much notice of anything happening further afield, apart from the big news stories which hit the headlines in the newspapers or on the TV screen.
Now there is too much information available to me and I have to be more selective with my reading matter. Yes, my brain has expanded at an alarming rate over the last few years, as I've become more aware of what is happening in other parts of the world. Now I find myself peddling backwards, skim reading anything which will not directly enhance my life. I'm pulling in the drawbridge, blotting things out that I don't need to know about.
A bit dramatic I know. We can't get away from world crime on our little island, the internet is the bridge which brings it here. If something cannot be done to curb the easy access that criminals have to peddle their evil anywhere they like, crime will grow and grow. Crime has a free passage through the internet. Maybe a time will come where we have to kill it off. ilona
Woken by a power cut
12 hours ago
To be honest I love the internet.I would rather have my lap top than a telly!...But,when it gets in the wrong hands it can be evil.Facebook was an eye opener for me.At first I thought it brilliant,keeping in touch with far away family was amazing! Then old school friends came along and again at first it was great...but for reasons that I cant go into..far to long winded,lol...I came off it after about 5 years on it.Ive not touched it for over 4 years now,which is a shame because it was useful and fun.I was in some great music groups on there.But these days,I love reading and sometimes commenting on the blogs.Everyone is nice on these...well most of the time away,lolxx
ReplyDeleteI would put myself in the same class as you, I love the small bit of the internet I visit.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Ilona. It's marvelous to have a library at my fingertips to learn and grow. Having said that, there is also the nefarious evil that the WWW contains. My task is to balance that tension. I choose to limit my time on the internet for emails, news headlines and uplifting blogs.
ReplyDeleteI love it for the information I wish to search for. But I am very picky about what I read and search for. I kind of like living in my own little bubble.
ReplyDeleteFinding my tribe around the world has become possible thanks to the www, and I have met some great people. However, I feel more has been lost than gained. It scares me that society has become so dependant of it. We have become helpless vulnerable idiots without it. Frightening. Pam
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