Making Life Accessible
Another argument in favor of online communication is that this phenomenon makes life more accessible for individuals, which allows them to utilize many benefits of everyday life. According to an article by Uhls et al., a significant number of adolescents deal with online communication because it allows for “sharing information, interacting with peers, and developing a coherent identity” (S67). This information demonstrates that technology provides individuals with an opportunity to be fully-fledged society members without the necessity to leave their homes. This state of affairs is in line with the world trend toward digitalization and globalization, denoting that more people’s activities go online. Thus, if an individual faces difficulties leaving their home, it does not mean that everyday services and opportunities are not accessible for them.
Furthermore, online communication makes life more accessible because it can help people learn and develop. In particular, various online courses are requested today since people enjoy learning at loose hours. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this activity even more requested since individuals had more spare time. As a result, a scholarly article by Wong et al. demonstrates that online communication is helpful since it made healthcare education possible against the COVID-19 background since it helped “disseminate consensus and expert opinion” (256). The scientists reveal that the phenomenon under consideration is beneficial because it is “a common channel for healthcare professionals, patients, and the public to communicate regarding health issues” (Wong et al. 259). Consequently, online communication makes life more accessible because technology allows people to become more educated.
One can also mention that online communication implies some economic benefits that make life more accessible. When it comes to digital technologies, people only need to pay Internet fees to have access to this service. Approximately $60 is an average monthly payment in the United States for using the Internet. Since the health crisis has contributed to the increased use of online communication, it is reasonable to identify what financial expenses are associated with this situation. According to Owl Labs, people “are saving almost $500 per month” by working from home (2). This finding demonstrates that digital technologies result in the fact that people have more economic resources to access various services and resources.
Distributing Knowledge
It is also worth admitting that online communication is helpful because it contributes to the fact that ordinary people have access to information that they did not previously know. This positive outcome is possible because technology results in the fact that more and more research findings are published online. For example, the early 21st century marked the “growth in open access publishing” (Pradhan and van Teijlingen 43). This strategy resulted in the fact that average individuals obtained an opportunity to get acquainted with the most recent scientific findings without enormous effort. To access new knowledge, people only needed to find interesting research article online and read it. Today, the situation is not much different because it is possible to find many open access journals that disseminate high-quality research findings.
In addition to that, online communication has also participated in enriching the research field. This statement refers to the fact that digital technology made it easier for scientists to generate research data since this phenomenon made “research more responsive to the wishes of the scientist” (Mirowski 193). Scholars can create, edit, and send their research articles for publication sitting in front of their computers. There is no doubt that this fact leads to a higher number of scientific papers being published. Consequently, ordinary citizens again receive better access to unique and scientific findings.
It is also worth admitting that a higher volume of research data is the case for various knowledge areas. For example, it is possible to find medical, engineering, marketing, management, social sciences, and other journals that offer relevant, timely, and open access studies. Google Scholar is a helpful and free tool that interested individuals can use to find scientific data about various topics. This instrument offers scholarly articles from multiple journals and databases, meaning that people can easily find the required answers. That is why one can conclude that online communication has contributed to the fact that science occupies a more significant role in modern life. It is challenging to deny that this fact is positive because more straightforward access to published scholarly materials denotes that individuals become more educated, which leads to benefits for the entire society.
Disadvantages of Online Communication
Irrespective of the information above, it is impossible to ignore the fact that online communication can imply some drawbacks. The possible disadvantages include the “lack of security, Internet addiction, information overload, and loss of social contacts” (Drahošová and Balco 1009). Even though these phenomena are negative, it is possible to state that their effects can be mitigated. On the one hand, adequate education on how to behave in the online environment can be an effective intervention to manage security, information overload, addiction threats. Users, especially novice ones, should understand what threats are possible and how to minimize them. On the other hand, the COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated that online communication can help preserve social contacts when it is impossible to meet personally because social media allowed for “interacting with peers” (Uhls et al. S67). That is why it is necessary to mention that logical reasoning and scientific findings allow for refuting the counterarguments that emphasize the possible disadvantages of online communication.
Works Cited
Drahošová, Martina, and Peter Balco. “The Analysis of Advantages and Disadvantages of Use of Social Media in European Union.” Procedia Computer Science, vol. 109C, pp. 1005-1009.
Mirowski, Philip. “The Future(s) of Open Science.” Social Studies of Science, vol. 48, no. 2, 2018, pp. 171-203.
Owl Labs. “State of Remote Work.” 2020, Web.
Pradhan, Arun, K., and Edwin R. van Teijlingen. “Predatory Publishing: A Great Concern for Authors.” Medical Science, vol. 5, no. 4, 2017, p. 43.
Uhls, Yalda T., et al. “Benefits and Costs of Social Media in Adolescence.” Pediatrics, vol. 140, no. s2, 2017, pp. S67-S70.
Wong, Adrian, et al. “The Use of Social Media and Online Communications in Times of Pandemic COVID-19.” Journal of the Intensive Care Society, vol. 22, no. 3, 2021, pp. 255-260.