The impact of the Internet

“When I took office, only high energy physicists had ever heard of what is called the Worldwide Web.... Now even my cat has its own page.” This was stated by former U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1996. 15 years ago, Internet was already common and universal. The first generation surprisingly, was launched back in the 1960s. It was invented by the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) to maintain communications during the cold war. Later, the APRA linked the network with university and researchers’ computers to help with researches. Afterwards, the ARPA realized the network was growing faster and quicker than they expected; thus, in 1983, the U.S. released the internet to the public. 

Nowadays almost everyone uses the internet; nevertheless, not many people know how the internet works. Every computer is assigned with an Internet Protocol (IP) address. When the link is clicked, the browser sends a request to the website and the website sends the data package back to the computer. Consequently, the browser defines the data and displays the website image. The whole process happens in less than a minute. Thanks to the Internet, we can instantaneously access to different websites.

The internet helps us with information researches; before the internet was invented, students had to spend hours in the library researching; now they can stay at home and access to the online library. 50 years ago, people had to wait days for a letter, now it is easier to communicate with people around the world by using emails. Nowadays staying in touch with friends around the world is easier because of the internet.  In addition, the Internet has changed people shopping habits. Now they can buy almost anything online without going to stores, free from constrain of time and place. They can easy to access to the products’ information. Furthermore, now most banks have home banking service allowing people to direct debits, to check their account and pay the bill online; without having to go to the bank wasting time. The Internet has brought innumerable conveniences into our lives.

People often focus on the convenience and neglect the negative aspects of the Internet. For instance: When you do online shopping, you may never receive the item you ordered from the online store, because it could be a fraudulent site. In addition, criminals can effortlessly access to your personal details or simply hack into your bank number or password. Danger may also come across children or teenagers. Many sexual assault cases happen because children can talk to strangers easily and without realizing the danger on the internet. Internet frauds are becoming more and more prevalent.

To prevent being hacked or other problems that may happen on the internet, when shopping on online stores, ascertain the shop is a legal and credible website. Secondly, it is important not to reveal passwords or bank account numbers over the internet. Last, don’t meet with strangers, despite how friendly they seem to be on the internet. Use the Internet carefully and it will become a safe and convenient place to surf.