The World Wide Web, or as it is most commonly known, the Internet, is one of the most widely used specimens of technology in the modern world. Connecting people all around the globe, the internet is a relatively new invention, although it seems it has been around for longer. From its birth in the 1970’s until today, it has become one of the fastest-growing areas of technology. Forever expanding as more and more websites get added to the network that is the internet, each day, it is indeed possible to find absolutely anything you require on the internet.
Reach and scope of websites
The internet will provide one with access to millions of websites specializing in every possible category imaginable. These range from social media sites to connect with virtually any person around the world, online shopping sites to purchase everything from cosmetics to fruit, online dating sites, legal journals and law reports, research papers, encyclopedias and sites for literary enthusiasts, medical pages for the layman as well as the expert, doctor website in Melbourne with lists and links to any medical professional or Centre to suit your requirement, online magazines, newspapers, and live webcasts to learn of news as it happens, eBook download sites, online higher study courses inclusive of both undergraduate and postgraduate studies, recipe sites, and instructions on how to make and do just about everything; the internet provides it all.
The advantages
Unquestionably, the internet is one of the most convenient inventions at hand today. Any type of information regarding any subject or field may be gathered just with a few keyboard clicks or taps on your smartphone. Furthermore, with the growth and popularity of social media, the internet has enabled anyone in the world residing anywhere to connect with loved ones, as well as discover new friends from all cultures and nationalities. Moreover, with the booming online shopping industry, all your shopping needs, whether simple groceries or a couture dress, may be purchased in just a few minutes without ever stepping out of your home.
It has also allowed global issues and problems to be discussed in an equally global scale. Issues such as environmental conservation, equal rights for all, and LGBT rights have been influenced in many ways by the recognition they received on social media on a global scale.
Risks and disadvantages
However, as with all good things, the internet too has its fair share of cons. In fact, the existence of the internet itself has created new varieties of crime. These include such crimes as cyber bullying and credit card fraud. Anyone can be anyone on the internet, and for the most part, this provides a sense of anonymity, allowing any user to do or say practically anything, online. Cyber bullying has become one of the most significant social issues in modern society. From body-shaming to hate mail, cyber bullying has resulted in an increase in suicides and even school shootings.
Bank fraud, on the other hand, is one of the most lucrative criminal enterprises on the internet today. Credit card fraud and identity theft has been made extremely easy, as millions of users globally perform countless financial transactions online every day, as well as choosing to review their confidential financial details online, thereby exposing themselves to hackers and fraudsters.