Introduction
The invention of the computer and the subsequent birth of the internet has been seen as the most significant advance of the 20th century. Over the course of the past few decades, there has been a remarkable rise in the use of computers and the internet and these two have revolutionized the way in which we carry out our day to day activities. In addition to this, the unprecedented high adoption rate of the internet has resulted in it being a necessity in the running of our day to day lives. With this wide-scale penetration of the internet into many facets of our life, it has become apparent that the internet has both positive and negative effects on individuals and society at large.
In light of this reality of the two faces of the internet, there has risen the question of whether the internet is a blessing or a curse to mankind. This paper shall argue that while the internet does pose many real dangers, the internet is overall a blessing to humanity and its positive impacts far outweigh its ills. To reinforce this assertion, this paper shall highlight the significant merits of the internet and demonstrate how the ills can be mitigated for the good of all.
The Internet, A Blessing
One of the most monumental effects of the internet is that it has led to the speeding up of globalization which is a process characterized by a major integration of economies and cultures. Globalization is characterized by a reduction in barriers between nations as the world strives to become a harmonic society. Sahay (2005, p.36) asserts that the ability of computing technologies to traverse geographical and social barriers has resulted in the creation of a closer-knit global community. The internet is to a large extent responsible for breaking down the barriers between different nations and therefore making the move towards making the world a global village feasible. This is because the internet exposes people to varying cultures and traditions therefore making us appreciate the differences.
Knowledge has always been seen to be critical to the advancement of any civilization. As such, man has always sought for ways to accumulate and disseminate information for the betterment of his kind. The internet has greatly aided this task by enabling the sharing of information among people at a previously unprecedented scale. This sharing of information has resulted in an increase in knowledge as people exchange ideas through the internet. With the help of the internet, are no longer confined to physical libraries as their only source of information. They can now tap into the vast resources that computers present through the internet. The internet’s connectivity has also led to more collaboration among students and scientists in their quest for knowledge thus further enhancing their educational experience.
The internet has afforded people the chance to get an education at their convenience. In the early years, one had to physically attend school facilities for educational purposes. This locked out multitudes of people who had the will to obtain an education but lacked the time to make it happen. Computers have changed this by enabling learning to be more dynamic by the use of online classes. This is in the form of the phenomenon known as “online education”. Students can take classes from wherever they may be and at any time by using virtual classrooms. The internet has therefore increased the number of people currently enrolled in higher learning institutes thus making education more universal than it was before the inception of computers.
The internet has led to a shift in the power bases by taking power from the political and economic elites, big businesses and governments and transferring the same to ordinary people. Ward (2003) suggests that through its distributive ability, the internet will decentralize traditional media channels, therefore, allowing for the interactive community which will result in citizen-based, participatory democracy. Therefore, as a result of the internet, people are no longer privy to government misinformation or even propaganda since they can report the news for themselves. This is a desirable change especially in countries whereby power is wielded by a few elites who control mainstream media and oppress their people.
The Internet, A Curse
As more people give information or perform activities online, the internet continues to cause a great infringement on individual privacy which is defined as “the right to be left alone” (Moran & Weinroth 2008, 46). This is especially through online shopping whereby one may be forced to enter personal details. When a person accesses the internet, their activities online may be monitored and information about them stored. User privacies have been violated by the use of tracking software and cookies which have enabled organizations to profile individuals. This information is normally collected without consent and sometimes without the knowledge of the user. Moran and Weinroth note that a more daunting reality is the possibility of this data being accessed and utilized for activities that may negatively impact the individual.
The internet has brought about the creation of a new class of people known as Hackers who are people who break into computer systems mostly for the fun of it. Hacking is one of the things which make the internet a very dangerous place. This is because hacking might lead to the exploitation of the vulnerabilities of a system resulting in harm or obtaining some illegal gains for the hacker.
While computer hacking is a criminal act under federal laws, this has not helped to deter the hackers and the fact that some countries do not have laws against hacking only makes dealing with hackers more difficult. While some hackers present themselves to the public and the hacking community as good or fighting for a good cause, this is not always the case as some hackers do use their skills for destruction or even blackmail (Jones & Valli 2008). As such, usage of the internet exposes one to dangers from hackers who may steal ones identity and use it to commit fraud.
One of the uglier effects of the internet is that it has made the world more dangerous for children. This is especially with regard to sexual exploitation since the internet has exposed children through its great connectivity power. The Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (2000) states that pedophiles may and actually do use the internet to find potential victims and trade in child pornography. By use of chat rooms, children may be lured into meeting strangers who may then proceed to sexually abuse them.
While such acts were there before the internet era, the internet has made prying on children easier and more effective than was in the past. The internet is also used to facilitate the sex trade through websites that offer detailed information as to the counties where pedophiles may go to exploit children owing to the place’s lax child protection laws. The fact that the internet gives anonymity to people is one of the features which have led to the increase in child sexual exploitation through the internet.
The internet has brought about the possibility of cyber terrorism which is defined as “the premeditated, politically motivated attack against information, computer systems, computer programs, and data which result in violence against noncombatant targets by sub national groups or clandestine agents.” (Bidgoli 2004, p.354). The most notable of these attacks was perpetrated against Georgia and Estonia following the dispute with Russia. Korns and Kastenver (2009) note that these attacks resulted in the disabling of communication means for the Georgian government. These realities are bleak considering the fact that a small terrorist group may make use of the internet to severe essential infrastructure of a country.
Discussion
For all its good, the internet remains as a dangerous and unregulated highway whereby crimes are committed and accountability is low. From the discussions presented above, it is clear that there are a number of real dangers that exist as a result of the internet. Some of these dangers e.g. the risk of children falling prey to molesters may be resolved by the use of a police force that has the power to monitor the internet.
The creation of global and enforceable laws which will make people legally accountable for their actions will also result in making the internet safer for all. While this goes against the basic idea of the internet as a place without any restrictions, every day realities dictate that law enforcement is necessary online to contain crimes that are continually being instigated through the internet. By so doing, some form of order can be brought to the internet, therefore, making it safer for all.
The threat of hackers is very real and presents a big challenge especially to organizations handling critical data. To cope with this, there are tools in place to secure computer networks against attacks. These tools ensure that threats against a network are identified and neutralized and that vulnerabilities are identified and protection measures are adopted. By detecting and defeating the intruders, the advantages of the internet can be reaped without any real danger to the individual or the organization.
The threat of terrorist attacks is very real in today’s world. Wilson (2005) notes that many international terrorist groups are actively using the internet to communicate amongst themselves, spread propaganda and even recruit new members. This raises the possibility that the internet could be used to carry out a well coordinated cyberattack on the critical infrastructure of the country. Wilson (2005) declares that it is unlikely that cyberterrorism will pose the same threat that physical attacks such as Nuclear, Biological or chemical threats pose. As such, the internet does not greatly empower terrorists to carry out their actions and as such, the fear of terrorists causing significant harm through the internet is unfounded.
Conclusion
This paper set out to argue that the internet is mostly benevolent to man. To reinforce these claims, this paper has highlighted some of the positive impacts of the internet on man. The negative impacts have also been stated and a discussion on how real the dangers are undertaken. From the findings in this paper, it is clear that some of the dangers associated with the internet are exaggerated and the real once can be gracefully handled through available means. This paper has noted that by adopting these measures against the dangers inherent in the internet, the dangers can be mitigated or even extinguish all together. Once that is done, the positive attributes of the internet can be exploited therefore making the internet a blessing to mankind and his endeavors.
References
Bidgoli, H 2004, The Internet encyclopedia, Volume 1. John Wiley and Sons.
Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime (2000), Child Sexually Exploitation and the Internet. Web.
Jones, A & Valli, C 2008, Building a Digital Forensic Laboratory, Butterworth-Heinemann.
Korns, WS & Kastenverg, EJ 2009, Georgia’s Cyber Left Hook. Web.
Moran, JT & Weinroth, J 2008, Invasion Of Privacy On The Internet: Information Capturing Without Consent, Journal of Business & Economics Research, Volume 6, Number 7.
Sahay, R, 2005, The causes and Trends of the Digital Divide. Web.
Ward, D 2003, Impact of New Technology on the Traditional Media: A Special Issue of Trends in Communication, Routledge.
Wilson, C 2005, Computer Attack and Cyberterrorism: Vulnerabilities and Policy Issues for Congress, Congressional Research Service.