It would be pretty difficult to deny that the internet has changed our lives in many far-reaching ways. For those who have grown up with it, it seems nearly impossible to imagine life without it and for those who were around before the internet (yes they exist…) it seems like a completely different era. It’s quite difficult to quantify all the ways in which the internet has impacted our lives but there are a few areas where the internet has been an obvious and real game-changer.
Globalization
Since the invention of international travel with ships and planes, there has been nothing that could bring people from different parts of the world together until the internet arrived. Take a moment to realize that you could chat with a friend in a different country in real-time as though they were there with you. As technology advances and we are able to do more with the internet the geographic borders that separate us are quickly becoming redundant. You can even virtually visit other places with the help of the internet so even physical travel is becoming less necessary.
Education
One of the most positive ways in which the internet has impacted our lives is by giving more people access to education. The use of online teaching resources has enabled people who may not have had physical access to such now to reap the benefit of their educational value. When before you needed thousands of dollars and a top-tier college education to become a programmer, people now can learn this invaluable skill using free online resources. Even trivial facts that used to be hidden to us such as the name for the tip of a shoelace are freely available at the touch of a button when before people used to just sit and wonder about it, never finding the answer.
Privacy
Unfortunately, the internet hasn’t only brought gains with it. We also lost quite a bit through the internet. One of the biggest losses is that of personal privacy. It is difficult to remain completely anonymous and unnoticed in today’s world. Some companies have used the internet to gather data about people, such as their shopping preferences and interests. Some individuals are more nefarious and there is the whole new field of cyber-crime that has come along with the internet. Thankfully, most of these issues can be avoided with the right protection and know-how.
Retail
Before the internet people were limited in what they could purchase and could only buy what was available in their local area. If they wanted some fancy gadget from a different country, they would physically have to travel there spending thousands of dollars and having to deal with many legal issues of importing. This has been greatly simplified and made cheaper by the internet. Now you can simply shop online and even purchase items from faraway lands that are delivered to your door in almost no time.
News
One of the greatest boasting rights of the internet is that it can deliver content in real-time. Way back when, people had to wait for the evening news or read the morning paper to find out what happened during the day. The events had occurred several hours or even a whole day before. Now, we receive notifications as and when they happen even if they are happening thousands of miles away. Yes, this is the age of limitless and instant information, where we are all connected in ways we could not have imagined, all thanks to the world wide web!
