Has the Internet Made Society Better Argumentative Essay

Introduction: The Inevitability of Change and the Role of the

Internet
Going down memory lane, from our past to our present, from the day we were born up till this very
moment, from the Stone ages down to our present day, there is one major affiliation associated with
all humans, which is change. Change is the only constant thing in life and among all the attributes
involved with the word change, knowledge is the most important. The human brain as small and fragile
as can be can store information totaling about 254 EB of data, which is approximately 1 billion GB.
That is equivalent to stacking CD-ROMs from earth to the moon, thus indicating a very large volume of
data storage. With this size of information available for storage in our brain, it is safe to say that there
may be a difficulty in storing the right kind of knowledge thus leading to the creation of computers
during the industrial revolution. The first computer, called the Analytical Engine, was designed by
British mathematician Charles Babbage between 1833 and 1871. In the past, a 'computer' was a
person, whose duty it was to add and subtract numbers as well as entering the results into different
tables. The tables were then transferred into books for different purposes, in order for people to use
them to complete various tasks. Tasks such as launching artillery shells accurately or calculating taxes
and a whole lot more were completed using those calculations by humans.
The Pre-Internet Era: Simplicity and Inefficiency
Before the creation of the Internet, what did people do? How was life affected? Was it a positive or
negative influence? These are some of the questions asked before the existence of the Internet. In
response to that, people still moved on with their lives, carrying out various tasks as scheduled, in a
way as suitable as possible, but this turned out to be a less efficient way with the advent of the
Internet. Before the Internet, people read books at leisure times, made artistic drawings or just took a
stroll down the street. In the event of an argument, people rarely agreed to take each other's sides
except for the side of an elderly person who was consulted on the subject matter. This was only
acceptable because they feel the older person has enough experience by virtue of his/her age. These
were trying times for accurate information, as there was little or no way to verify claims. Newspapers
and magazines were quite popular, with people reading them out of the desire to kill boredom, get
information or pass time and not because they enjoyed reading them. People had to walk or drive for
miles to get accurate information. Businesses spent more financially to reach the right
audience/market in order to sell goods and services and make profits. Ideas were only documented
personally and tutorials were only given physically. This resulted in inefficient use of time and adults
became unaware of the potentials, they had in them to succeed at a particular task, before the
invention of the Internet. This is not to say that everything was hardly accurate or very inefficient
before the arrival of the Internet. No. Ironically life was pretty simple before the advent of the Internet.
People actually had a lot more sleep than they do now. If I said I was going to bed, sincerely I was
because there was no distraction. Before the Internet, people still planned their schedule with
perfection and hardly miss or cancel appointments. That is the perfect way of handling businesses.
This shows life would still be simple, even if the Internet had not been created. It would seem that
reading this article from the perspective of a beginner can seem confusing, especially if the word
'Internet' has no meaning for the reader. Some people do not understand the meaning of the Internet,
which brings us to the question, what does the Internet stand for?

Understanding the Internet: A Brief History

The Internet, sometimes called ‘the Net’, is a worldwide system of computer networks - a network of
networks in which users at any one computer can, if they have permission, get information from any
other computer (and sometimes talk directly to users at other computers). In basic terms, the Internet
is a global interconnected collection of networks that communicate using Internet protocols. It was
conceived by the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) of the U.S. government in 1969 and
was first known as the ARPANET. The original aim was to create a network that would allow users of
a research computer at one university to 'talk to' research computers at other universities. A side
benefit of ARPANET's design was that, because messages could be routed or rerouted in more than
one direction, the network could continue to function even if parts of it were destroyed in the event of a
military attack or any other disaster. Was there a need for the creation of the Internet? Of course,
there's a need for everything. The government did create the Internet out of a necessity for carrying
out government functions and obligations, but they never envisaged the success of the Internet
commercially with respect to the future. Regardless, gratitude should be shown to the government for
its creation. The creation of the Internet marked another era in technology advancement. With it, the
percentage of knowledgeable beings on the planet has drastically increased, with accurate information
available at the click of a button. Not just information, businesses have also been given a platform to
grow, by targeting the right audiences and also spending fewer resources (or rather, high volume of
resources in some cases).
The Internet's Impact on Various Sectors
The Internet has really become a necessity since its creation as so many businesses, existence, etc.
are tied to it, it has become a means in which a person or persons communicate globally without
breaking a sweat. Imagine a world where persons can hold a conference meeting all in the comfort of
their homes, where classified information can be sent from one person to the other safely without the
archaic mailing system via the post office, imagine a world where a ten-year-old child is able to gather
limitless information on his ancestors and their heritage, this and many more have been made
possible through the use of the Internet. The educational system has benefited a great deal from the
Internet, thus making education easily reached, with research. The Internet has helped many be able
to get educated with quality education, such as getting admitted in prestigious international universities
like UNICAF University. Individuals interested in getting a degree in a specific field can use this
medium to attend his/her desired educational institution. This has made education easily accessible
for Africans, most especially and everyone else across the globe. Furthermore, the Internet has
helped education grow and reach many a people across the globe, easily and quickly. You can now
get your desired degrees in the comfort of your home, or while you're working, you do not necessarily
need to attend physical classes or tutorials. You can learn basically everything you want using the
Internet. In addition to communication, the Internet has made it easier to pass information and data
across to every individual seamlessly through our Internet devices, such as phones and computers.
Information can be shared using e-mails or instant messengers. It has also helped radio and television
corporations transmit their shows easily to more people, the Internet has enabled them to have more
coverage and audiences. The Internet has also helped business promote their business and brands to
heterogeneous number of people who have access to the Internet by running ads on platforms such
as Facebook, Google, Yahoo, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube and so on. This means has
eased physical marketing where employees walk on the street to promote their brand or company, this
medium is called 'digital marketing'. Instead of using Radio and TV or physical marketing by walking
around, the Internet has made it easier to reach a large number of targeted audiences around the
world or region the organization wants to sell its brand or products. The Internet has also made it very
easy to connect with friends and family who are far away from you, whether in another country or
another state. We can now reach our friends and family with instant messengers such as Messenger,
WhatsApp, IMO, WE Chat, Palm Play, or e-mails, or with social media like Facebook, Myspace,
Snapchat and so on. The Internet has greatly improved the health sector in the sense that individuals
can easily get home remedy/ treatment to common ailment, such as the common cold, cough, insect
bites, flu, and so on. A person who got bitten by a venomous snake in the wild can get access to first
aid through the Internet and this can save one's life before the arrival of paramedics. The Internet has
also made a great deal in helping organizations, or local businessmen to sell their products online,
without necessarily going out to the market. One can now advertise and sell their product to an
interested buyer on the Internet using online or e-commerce stores like E-bay, Amazon, Jumia, Ali-
Express, and so on. The Internet has also made it easier for exchange, online transactions, like when
one buys a product online, you can also pay money online using payments. The Internet has also
helped with banking, transferring and saving electronic assets like cryptocurrencies, and also making it
easy to send fiat currencies send fiat currencies to anyone across the globe. The Internet has helped
many get employed by searching for jobs online using job search platforms like Jobberman, where
employers and business owners and organizations post vacancies for positions to be filled. The
Internet has also helped many individuals make money online, the Internet has helped many become
bloggers, and writers, by passing information to people seamlessly and freely.

The Dark Side of the Internet: Ethical and Factual Concerns

However, it must interest you to know that even with the help of the Internet in making life easier for
everyone, there are quite a number of disadvantages and problems affecting the Internet. To start, let
us take a deep look at the information we gather from the net, the things we read about and pictures
we see, an individual or organization is responsible for the contents, also the same individual or
organization may decide to take down the contents or worse, edit it to suit their personal, political,
cultural, and religious views. Needless to say, that the Internet can, therefore, be polluted by people of
interest in such a way that true facts from historical records can be easily edited or deleted by those
power, i.e the government, so much so that only their own views will stand which in my own point of
view is against human interest as everyone is entitled to factual truth. That said, we shall move to
discuss the Internet. Before the Internet, what do people do? People still moved on with their lives,
carrying out various tasks as scheduled, but less efficiently. They read books at leisure times, made
artistic drawings or just took a stroll down the street. In the event of an argument, people rarely agreed
to take sides except for the side of an elderly person who was consulted on the subject matter
because there was no way to verify claims. Newspapers and magazines were quite popular, with
people reading them out of the desire to kill boredom and pass time and not because they enjoyed
reading them. Ideas were only documented personally and tutorials were only given physically. This
resulted in limited use of time and as adults became unaware of the potentials, they had in them to
succeed at a particular task, before the invention of the Internet. As you might expect for a technology
so expansive and ever-changing, it is impossible to credit the invention of the Internet to a single
person. The Internet has been credited to the work of dozens of pioneering scientists, programmers,
and engineers who each developed new features and technologies that eventually merged to become
the ‘information superhighway’ we know today. As earlier stated, change is the only constant thing in
life with knowledge being one of the most important things that come with it, brought about the
creation of the internet which leads to the expansion of knowledge and information. Today, we use the
Internet for almost everything; for many people, it would be impossible to imagine life without it. Can
you even imagine a world without the Internet? This is not a chance. The Internet is the global system
of interconnected computer networks that use the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to link devices. The
world today has been taken over by the Internet. There is no doubt that the Internet is one of the
biggest discoveries of this century. The world has drastically changed since the invention of the
internet. With the Internet, now it is possible to do lots of things that were not possible earlier. The
uses of the Internet in our daily lives depends on individual goals and desires. In most cases, activities
of our daily lives are influenced or decided by the use of the Internet. We spend more time on the net
for most it is a habit that cannot be stopped not even to be reduced to the nearest minimum. The
positive use of the Internet brings ease and simplicity into our lives. It is evident that the Internet
provides us with useful data, information, and knowledge for the personal, social and economic
development. It is left to us to utilize our time on the Internet in a productive manner. The Internet has
turned our existence upside down. It has revolutionized communications. Obviously, the Internet has
and will continue to change how people live. Also, it has made a greater influence on almost all
aspects of our daily lives, the society and even the world at large.

Conclusion: The Internet's Dual Nature

Therefore, I believe the Internet is ultimately more beneficial than detrimental to people. The Internet
has been inculcated into our educational system as said earlier (learning is much easier and faster
and even factual than before) and our businesses (we can now expand our reach of goods and
services to heterogeneous people across the globe). Let us make a differentiation concerning the
usage, you can use the Internet at home for personal use or at work for professional usage. To spend
a part of our day or our time or our time on the Internet is quite normal for many people. They use this
kind of medium to get information about all kinds of things varying, from educational to social
information. Some individuals are interested in chatting, probably they are members of a community,
but whatever it is you are looking for, you will find it. Even if you want to have very specific information,
you will find it in a short time all thanks to the Internet, which has brought more positive impact to our
everyday lives than negatives.