Since the dawn of time man has been interested in improving their lives. First came electricity, next came the automobile, now the age of the web has shown itself. Like most young strapping freshman, I was interested in the internet for such things as video games, e-mail, IM, and sports scores. But when I think of how it has bettered my life, the first thing that comes to mind, is its use as an educational tool.
Using the internet for research has been possibly the greatest idea since sliced bread. It really just makes life a lot easier. There is no worrying about going to the library and looking for that gigantic encyclopedia, and then copying the information down from page 13456, using a magnifying class to read the type. What I really like is the dictionaries on-line, as well as wikipedia (although i'm not supposed to be using that because it's unreliable..sshh). Specific information is available at all times. There is also different articles on the information and forums that can help you on almost any topic. I really like the forums where people discuss certain topics, because sometimes you will find out information that you didn't know on a subject you know a lot about.
The internet has changed my life for the worse because I am addicted to it! I can survive without it, but I get bored very easily now. I play WoW a lot, so I need the internet for that. Without the internet, there would be no WoW. Because of the internet, there is no incentive to read books or go outside. I spend at least 5 hours or more at my computer a day. Could it be causing a decline in my health? I do not know.
Everything is available at your finger tips. Although it is very convenient, I believe it makes our society lazier as a whole. Now, I'm not complaining, but I think this is definitely a major flaw in the system. People take advantage of the web, and there are millions of scammers out there. Although this is bound to happen in any situation, the fact that spamming and scamming is so easy and the fact that people are so gullible, present a problem to our society.
Overall, I think that some of the internet's stengths also are some of its weaknesses. It is easily accessible and almost anyone can use it, but it has the potential of eliminating jobs and even providing us the opportunity to skip out of work for the price of money. As long as people use the web responsibly, I don't think there is an immediate problem.
