There is an infinite amount of things to do with a computer, be it for social purposes, for business purposes, for entertainment purposes and plenty of other things. Over the past few decades, our society has changed in an extreme way. We've gone from mainly reading and playing games for fun to watching TV and movies, using the web. Of course, reading and playing games is still part of our "curriculum", but we are offered so much more these days. It's crazy what you can do with the Internet, and there's just a modicum of things that we are limited to.
Socializing is definitely a huge part of the Internet world. We are offered hundreds of sites dedicated solely to helping us connect with others; sites such as facebook, myspace, and twitter. With the help of these sites, it is easy to talk to your existing friends or make some new ones. For example, i know some people who's best friends are people they met online. Instant messaging is also a very common way to talk to your friends and family. People use programs such as msn, aim, yahoo messenger, etc. A program called Skype has recently become popular in our society. Skype is an instant messaging service that uses web cam and microphone to made video calls from your computer instead of typing. For example, my grandmother lives in India, so speaking to her on the phone would be very costly. Instead, we send each other messages on facebook and talk by msn and email. The Internet has found an easy way to bring people together, and for a fraction of the cost!
Since the web explosion, education has also changed. Now, text books needed for classes are available online for a fraction of the cost, and without having to carry around all that extra weight with you. As well, university courses are available online for anyone who wishes to take. You can watch lectures online, download material, take exams, etc. It is so much easier to get educated than it used to be. You may not get a degree from it, but you'll be learning just as much.
Like i mentioned before, the Internet give us so much more to entertain ourselves with than they had growing up 30 years ago. There are thousands and thousands of sites dedicated to playing games online, we can read books online, we can watch movies and TV shows online and much more. For shopaholics, for instance, there are sites of all their favorite stores where they can browse and buy right off the Internet at a click of a button. For some, this may not be safe, but that's for them to judge. As well, there are web sites where artists all over the world can post their art work and have others view them, make comments and give feedback. This way, not only famous artists have the chance to share their masterpieces with the world. It's also a great way to get discovered.
As far as the business world is concerned, the web is creating a drastic change. Businesses now can have their own websites, with products, promotions, advertisements, etc. Restaurants can post their menus online and have printable coupons to bring in more business. The social networking sites are actually very beneficial to businessmen and women. They are now able to advertise their business as much as they want and it won't cost them anything. Now, the stock market is online, so people can invest right from the comfort of their homes. Everything can now be done on the Internet if one has a credit card and regular people like you and I can check their bank accounts online and order cheques in an instant.
Travel has never been so simple. You need to book a flight out as soon as possible? Go online and you'll be done in minutes. You want to research the best places to go on vacation with your family? Browse websites, check out the packages they offer and even book the entire trip from the comfort of your own living room. Driving down south with the kids and don't know how to get to your destination? Print out a map from the Internet so you don't get lost. There's no waiting in line at travel agencies. There's no waiting hours in an airport just to find out the flight is sold out. And the best part? Booking online often costs you less!
In a few decades, once computers take over, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. will all become paperless. This means cutting down less trees, which means 1 point for environment. You can now apply for jobs online and get notified when positions open up. If you're expecting a baby, get all the information you need from all the websites available to you. You can even check out baby names and find out what every name means. You can research doctors and pharmacists. You can order groceries online and have them delivered right to your house. Everything you need on a daily basis is at your disposal. For you lazy people out there, this is your utopia!
So, were you skeptical about the Internet? I bet you're not anymore. What can be scary about having everything there for you? Of all the things to worry about, being part of a web-dependant society is low on the list.
Socializing is definitely a huge part of the Internet world. We are offered hundreds of sites dedicated solely to helping us connect with others; sites such as facebook, myspace, and twitter. With the help of these sites, it is easy to talk to your existing friends or make some new ones. For example, i know some people who's best friends are people they met online. Instant messaging is also a very common way to talk to your friends and family. People use programs such as msn, aim, yahoo messenger, etc. A program called Skype has recently become popular in our society. Skype is an instant messaging service that uses web cam and microphone to made video calls from your computer instead of typing. For example, my grandmother lives in India, so speaking to her on the phone would be very costly. Instead, we send each other messages on facebook and talk by msn and email. The Internet has found an easy way to bring people together, and for a fraction of the cost!
Since the web explosion, education has also changed. Now, text books needed for classes are available online for a fraction of the cost, and without having to carry around all that extra weight with you. As well, university courses are available online for anyone who wishes to take. You can watch lectures online, download material, take exams, etc. It is so much easier to get educated than it used to be. You may not get a degree from it, but you'll be learning just as much.
Like i mentioned before, the Internet give us so much more to entertain ourselves with than they had growing up 30 years ago. There are thousands and thousands of sites dedicated to playing games online, we can read books online, we can watch movies and TV shows online and much more. For shopaholics, for instance, there are sites of all their favorite stores where they can browse and buy right off the Internet at a click of a button. For some, this may not be safe, but that's for them to judge. As well, there are web sites where artists all over the world can post their art work and have others view them, make comments and give feedback. This way, not only famous artists have the chance to share their masterpieces with the world. It's also a great way to get discovered.
As far as the business world is concerned, the web is creating a drastic change. Businesses now can have their own websites, with products, promotions, advertisements, etc. Restaurants can post their menus online and have printable coupons to bring in more business. The social networking sites are actually very beneficial to businessmen and women. They are now able to advertise their business as much as they want and it won't cost them anything. Now, the stock market is online, so people can invest right from the comfort of their homes. Everything can now be done on the Internet if one has a credit card and regular people like you and I can check their bank accounts online and order cheques in an instant.
Travel has never been so simple. You need to book a flight out as soon as possible? Go online and you'll be done in minutes. You want to research the best places to go on vacation with your family? Browse websites, check out the packages they offer and even book the entire trip from the comfort of your own living room. Driving down south with the kids and don't know how to get to your destination? Print out a map from the Internet so you don't get lost. There's no waiting in line at travel agencies. There's no waiting hours in an airport just to find out the flight is sold out. And the best part? Booking online often costs you less!
In a few decades, once computers take over, books, magazines, newspapers, etc. will all become paperless. This means cutting down less trees, which means 1 point for environment. You can now apply for jobs online and get notified when positions open up. If you're expecting a baby, get all the information you need from all the websites available to you. You can even check out baby names and find out what every name means. You can research doctors and pharmacists. You can order groceries online and have them delivered right to your house. Everything you need on a daily basis is at your disposal. For you lazy people out there, this is your utopia!
So, were you skeptical about the Internet? I bet you're not anymore. What can be scary about having everything there for you? Of all the things to worry about, being part of a web-dependant society is low on the list.
Great post Tal!
ReplyDeleteI love how you talk about the web not only changing the was we socialize but also our education, entertainment, business, travel, etc.
You talked about how you can search anything on the web, and that's absolutely true! Jimmy Wales, the creator of Wikipedia, knows all about that and is changing search engines as we know it.
Finally, your last paragraph was really mind-boggling. I mean, I've had some doubts about the web before, but as you mentionned, I'm not skeptical anymore. You're right, this isn't something we should be worried about, however it still scares me a bit- there's going to come a day when we're too dependant on the web and we won't know how to live without it.
All in all, amazing post Tal!
You stated some very powerful points throughout your post!
ReplyDeleteI really liked how you talked about each category. Socially, I agree with you. Skype is becoming huge! I skype with my cousins in Italy and it is amazing because it is free!
The internet is providing us with so many advantages for our daily lives it is insane!
I didn't see you mention of our lectures though?
You could've incorporated their opinions in your post!
overall, it was a pleasure to read!
Nick, I know I didn't speak about the lecture we watched. I realized it after the fact and I had already written such a long post that I didn't want to bore anyone with more. I really did appreciate 2 out of the 3 of those lectures though and I wish I had expressed that earlier
ReplyDelete