You are here, surfing our website, finding internships and jobs, thanks to the internet. The Internet has made our lives super easy in many ways. There are both advantages and disadvantages of Internet, and we covered them here.
Since its advent in the late 1900s, the Internet has become one of the most important parts of our daily lives. It has completely changed how everything works in the world, from watching educational videos on YouTube and other platforms to purchasing stuff from online stores
It has transformed how we share information and interact with people in our daily lives.
If someone wants to buy new clothes, they no longer need to go to the clothing store to do so, all they have to do is browse one of many websites accessible on the internet, click buy, and voila! The product will be delivered to their doorstep.
However, like many other great things, the Internet also comes with its fair share of disadvantages. In this article, we are going to focus on the “Pros and Cons” of the Internet.
Table of Contents
The Advantages of Internet
The Internet has revolutionized how the world works, the way business is conducted worldwide, and how we access information. Here are some advantages of the Internet.
1. Access To Information
The Internet is a well of information, whether it be info related to your school studies or knowledge about trading and investing in the stock market. If you want to research a certain topic for your school project or know about the usage and common symptoms of a medication you have been prescribed, the internet has got you covered.
2. It Makes Life Convenient
You no longer need to be physically present to buy clothing or basic necessities for your home. The Internet makes them available at your fingertips.
Similarly, If you need to be somewhere, you don’t have to go there in person since you can book a taxi or an Uber right from your phone. The Internet also comes in handy for business professionals who use it to expand their businesses.
3. Several Entertainment Options
If you have got a day or two off work and are looking for some entertainment in your leisure time, the Internet has got your needs covered, from several streaming services and OTT platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video to Online games and books that are easily accessible in your Phone, Computer or TV that are all connected to the internet.
4. Connectivity With The World
Connecting with anyone, anywhere in the world has become increasingly easy with apps like Zoom, Skype, Google Teams etc. If you want to video call a friend or a family member, you can easily do so no matter where you are in the world.
This can be incredibly useful if you need to attend a job interview with a company that allows video interviews, even if you are a thousand miles away, you will still be able to attend the interview and get a chance at your dream job.
5. Remote Work Opportunities
Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic, Remote work operations (work from home internships and jobs) have become quite popular, this has changed how some businesses operate and oftentimes makes it easier for both the employee and employer to conduct business.
For the employee, they can do their work and handle their responsibilities from the comfort of their home. For the employer, it is a cost-effective solution for getting work done.
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The Disadvantages of Internet
Like with anything too good to be true, the Internet also has its fair share of concerns and disadvantages. Below are some disadvantages of the internet.
1. Security Concerns
Cybercriminals and hackers target vulnerabilities in operating systems of different hardware or software, they can implant viruses or malware to render the system useless or steal important personal information like credit card info or personal pictures.
These attacks can lead to financial loss, theft of identity, or loss of sensitive data which is an infringement of privacy.
2. Internet Addiction
Nowadays, children are more often glued to phone screens instead of going outside to play with their friends, this addiction to the internet isn’t only an issue in children, even adults mindlessly scroll for hours in apps like Instagram, YouTube, or Facebook.
This can have a severe impact on mental health, giving people problems communicating in real life with their friends and family. It can also impact physical health, as people on their computers or phones all day tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle, leading to excessive weight gain and other health issues.
3. Spreading of Fake News
Fake news is often clickbaity and controversial, and social media platforms are designed to pick up on and spread controversial stories.
This design makes them spread like a virus. People also spread information that they already believe in, they feel like it confirms their beliefs, so they tend to share links and images of misinformation with their friends and family via apps like WhatsApp.
Also, since fake news tends to go viral, it becomes increasingly difficult to discern the credibility of said news and information on different topics and areas.
4. Time Wastage on Short-Form Content
Getting addicted to the Internet can have a detrimental effect on one’s life, one of the common ones being the insane amount of time people tend to waste scrolling reels or other types of short-form content.
This type of content is specifically made to be a certain way so that people don’t actually have to focus on it and can just mindlessly watch and scroll endlessly until they realize that it’s been hours. These hours can add up over time and become hundreds or even thousands of hours.
5. Social Isolation
You can talk to people all day on the Internet about all sorts of things. However, this is not the same as an actual face-to-face in-person conversation, real-life conversations develop social skills that help you in life.
The ease of access to messaging apps on the Internet has made it so that some people prefer to not meet up but instead chat over the Internet because it is easy and they don’t even need to leave their room to do so. Such habits can often lead to social alienation and depression.
Now that you have learned about the advantages and disadvantages of the Internet, let’s focus on how the internet affects various facets of life.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet According to Certain Factors
| Advantages of Internet | Disadvantages of Internet |
| The Internet has made it very simple to educate oneself on various topics. | Some people use the Internet to spread fake news. |
| Digital Payments have made it unnecessary to carry cash or credit. | Cyber attacks are becoming more and more common. |
| The Internet has made it easy to keep in touch with friends and family via video calls. | Overuse of the internet can lead to mental and physical health issues. |
| It helps to effectively grow one’s business. | There is a potential threat from hackers leading to the loss of personal info. |
Below are some pros and cons of the internet in specific areas of life.
Health Factor
- Advantages: The Internet is filled with an abundance of information relating to all the different aspects of life and it can be very advantageous when it comes to gaining information on one’s diet and exercise and how to live a lifestyle that helps to increase one’s Longevity.
- Disadvantages: On the flip side, the Internet can also be very addictive and people who are glued to the screens of their devices generally tend to lead a sedentary lifestyle, this can lead to multiple health issues including obesity, heart disease, and diabetes to name a few.
Security Factor
- Advantages: The Internet has made people more aware of cybersecurity threats and pretty much everyone uses anti-malware or antivirus software to protect the data on their devices. This awareness has reduced the amount of people being a target of cyberattacks. Nowadays, everything from turning the lights off in your house to buying stocks can be done from your phone, all of which is either password or fingerprint-protected.
- Disadvantages: On the other hand, expert hackers can bypass or hack into someone’s devices using emails or messages to install viruses or malware. This can be dreadful since all our information from our personal social media accounts to our credit card details are stored in our devices, and can lead to financial losses or even blackmail.
Convenience Factor
- Advantages: One of the biggest benefits of the Internet is how convenient it has made our lives, we can conduct all our shopping needs right from the comfort of our sofa. The Internet has digitized the world, and even people’s homes are becoming “Smart Homes” with devices such as Alexa or Google Home which have made it easy to control all the electronic devices in the house from one place.
- Disadvantages: While it is nice to have this convenience, it has the potential to be detrimental to our health, this convenience can lead us to get addicted to the Internet, and spending hours behind our phones or computer screens is associated with many problems such as isolation from our social life and a decrease in actual face-to-face conversations, and health problems like weight gain and diabetes.
Final Words | The Pros and Cons of Internet
The Internet has completely transformed everything in the world, from connecting with family to accessing abundant information to entertainment and online services. However, the Internet can be just as harmful as it can be helpful. Overuse of the Internet can lead to addiction which can be detrimental to one’s mental and physical health.
Conducting business on the Internet also comes with a risk of getting hacked and having sensitive information stolen.
To end, even with all its benefits, the internet is a double-edged sword, you have to be careful when navigating it and set some ground rules for you to follow in this digital age.
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About the Author:
Mrs. Sunny Gupta is the co-founder of a leading talent recruitment firm ecH-aaR Manpower Solutions.
She has worked with several leading brands as HR and helped them in scaling up their organizations.
She is an expert in career counselling, resume making, manpower planning and ERP.