IS THE INTERNET DOING MORE HARM THAN GOOD?
We now live in a virtual world; a world so dependent on internet that we would be crippled without it. The past few decades has seen the emergence of internet as a fast growing entity that has taken a very important place in our lives. Very often, people come up with arguments and counter arguments about the benefits and the disadvantages of having this entity rule our life or even form a part of it. Surely there are many benefits of having internet in our lives, but, there are also a lot of harms we face because of it. Just as a glass half empty/full, this can also be looked at with two entirely different perceptions.
What does the internet mean today.
“Well, the internet does nothing but exist. Good or harm comes from what we make of it. Use it for productive work and it becomes your best friend and if you let it control you then it’s definitely your worst enemy.”- Says Aarti Polavarapu , a college student.
What we make of the internet surely defines whether it is good or harmful. It has not only helped us connect to people from the remotest corner of the world, but, it has also helped us increase our sources of knowledge, increase the economy and save us from various disasters. But, at the same time, it has increased the risks we are exposed to.
The internet in many ways has made us more restricted.
As we are more connected to each other, we know each and every event that takes place in others life. A mere hate message spreads like a wildfire and can turn into a real life ugly fight. Cyber bullying is one the most common problem that internet has bought with it. Just like real life bullying, cyber bullying causes a lot more harm as it spreads fast and teenagers who turn victims to this often become depressed, cut off from the group or may even try to commit suicide. Internet has also exposed children to sexual predators who later fall victim to the heinous crimes committed by these predators.
The internet is full on online predators.
Internet does not have limited usage area nor is it inaccessible. This wide reaching impact of internet has caused phobias as well as addictions amongst people from all walks of life. Internet addiction disorder (IAD) is now a recognized disorder, in this the person overuses internet so much that he or she cannot perform daily life functions properly. A person can also suffer from Interphobia, which is the fear of internet.
Hacking, espionage, child pornography, spam, racism, hate speech and many more are forms through which cybercrime can be committed. Cybercrime is not easy to stop and nor can it be easily tracked and hence, there is also a need of having higher technological advancement that has limited access and does not fall into the wrong hands. The government of most countries are now coming up with strict cyber laws to protect their citizens from this new form of violence.
Even our private information can fall into the wrong hands and be unsafe.
“I appreciate the internet. The knowledge there is insane. But, I am not pro internet also because people can even spy on me through it. Also, do you know that we cannot access almost 98% of the internet; it’s called the deep web. It is a place of things hidden from us, all weird and illegal stuff.” – says Vedika Pareek, a law student.
The internet is like an iceberg immersed in water. What we see is only the tip of the iceberg; the larger and dangerous portion is hidden away from the plain sight. The deep web is a place in the internet that is inaccessible to the common population without the correct knowledge and software. It contains child pornography, black market, political forums, whistleblowers, scam sites, sites where people can get fake ids, hire hitmen and assassins and many more.
This debate of internet being a bane or a boon is an inconclusive debate that cannot have a definite ending and it shall go on till we have the internet and even after that.
