Although the internet is a very useful tool that can make people's lives in

modern society much more convenient, it also has negative effects. For
people who want to be productive, the internet offers various opportunities to
pursue this goal. But there a

The development of information technology particularly the internet has

brought with it both positive and negative effects to society. These effects are
enumerated below:

5 Positive Effects of the Internet

1. It is easier to do research

Before electronic means of gathering information, students or researchers

needed to pay a visit to libraries to access materials relevant to their research
topics. Nowadays, it will take just a subscription to a journal online or just
browsing online to search for literature required to develop one’s conceptual
framework. Preparing the review of literature is easier and faster. Thus, more
research gets published and knowledge generation is greatly facilitated.

As time moves on, there is more and more information that is put onto the
internet, and this information is added to daily. People can now review medical
studies, medical articles, business articles, scientific articles, hobbies, videos,
and find the answer to about any topic. In addition, we can all watch TV
shows, movies, music videos, podcasts from all sources, watch sporting
events, keep up with sport scores, and even talk with your doctor or boss right
on the internet.

For those looking for a new job, the internet is great to research companies
and job offers, plus applying for a new job.

2. Communication with family, friends and relatives is faster

Gone are the homesick days because a son or daughter can now easily
contact their parents online. Services such as that of Skype and Gmail enable
a loved one to communicate with another in almost any part of the globe
where internet services are available.

It is now common for kids at college to communicate with their parents every
day. Keep up with relatives after they move to another state and talk to them
easily with Skype. Moving away from the home town can be stressful, but
being able to keep up with relatives all over the country and world, makes it as
if you never left. Send pictures, emails and face to face communication makes
moving away from home much easier to keep in contact.

3. There is a great possibility to earn while working from home

It is now possible to earn online through writing, filling up forms, or even just
clicking away on advertisements in the internet. Information is a valuable thing
that people are willing to pay. Through advertisements posted online,
manufacturers and sellers are able to increase the possibility of having their
products purchased.

Since the economic crash of 2008, more and more Americans have started
their own home business. With the internet this has all become a great
opportunity, with websites like eBay, Etsy, and Amazon. In addition to this,
many companies now allow employees to work from home, which is great
because a person can work from home without having the hassle of
commuting.

4. Faster business transactions and cheaper products

Sellers and buyers can now transact through online paying facilities like
Paypal or credit cards. Buyers can surf online and select the products they
want to buy. There is no need to have a physical store to maintain as the
products can be shipped directly from the factory.

Brick and mortar stores all have their own website now so customers can
order products easily and either pick them up at their local store without
shipping charges in many cases, or if they do not have a local store, have the
products mailed right to their home. And more and more businesses have
abandoned the brick and mortar concept and just have internet stores, making
it easy for all customers to purchase products, and in many cases, all around
the world.

Banking online, managing your investments and paying your bills online is
now the normal. Getting instant notifications of bills due or transactions at your
bank is a great way to keep your mind at ease, no more waiting for the regular
mail. PayPal has made it very easy to get paid for your home business and to
buy products online.

5. Savings on travel cost

Through the use of the internet, it is possible for executives or business

managers to do teleconferencing. They do not need to meet physically just to
discuss matters. This could save a lot on travel cost.

No more expensive airline costs to travel to meeting after meeting. With the
ease of sitting in the conference room, using the internet, it is as easy as
being there across the country or world. This convenience stays a lot of time
and travel costs.

5. Negative Effects of the Internet

1. Children, young adults and even adults get addicted to games online

Online games can be addictive to children, young adults and even adults. This
can rob away precious time which otherwise should have been used for
something more productive (see Opportunity Cost).

The internet has been recently accused of part of the cause of childhood
obesity. So many children have decided to spend all of their time in front of the
computer playing games instead of playing outside.

2. Pornography is rampant

Anybody can easily upload pornographic material for commercial purposes or

just for fun. The young minds of children will be corrupted through their
exposure to things which are reserved for adults. Many well-known
personalities are also victimized by opportunistic and malicious people who
want to discredit others using their personal encounters.

This is probably one of the biggest negative of the internet. There are people
out there that try and lure underage children, plus people that put illegal
pictures on the internet. Many marriages have problems because of
pornography addictions, meeting other people, and hooking up with old
girlfriends or boyfriends.

3. Loss of the human touch

People absorbed in their activities online tend to forget that there are real
people in their surroundings who need their attention or have socialization
needs. Social networking gives more importance to virtual friends than real
ones.

People that are so involved in the internet, they have forgotten how to interact
with their family, friends and coworkers, not to mention meeting strangers.
Everyone seems to walk around staring at the cell phones not even noticing
those around them.

4. Criminal elements use information to advance their malicious intents

Unsuspecting internet users can fall victim to criminal elements that meddle
with their emails or do something nasty with their credit card information.
Phishing or fooling other people into believing that criminal-owned websites
are legitimate led to millions of money lost to misleading business
transactions.

This has become one of the largest problems because of the internet. Every
day, we all read about another bank, company or credit reporting agency
being hacked where criminals get all of our information. This leads to fraud
and the stealing of our social security numbers and bank and credit card
numbers.
5. Abandonment of family

In one instance, a couple in Korea was preoccupied with their virtual baby
forgetting to feed their real baby who died of hunger. People become
insensitive as they are absorbed by the hidden hand of the internet into its lair.

As mentioned above in the pornography section, a spouse can become so

involved in gaming or other online activities, that they are completely
withdrawn from the spouse and family. This problem or addiction can affect
both men and women.

Conclusion

Considering that the effects of the internet to people can be both positive and
negative, there is a need to manage this technology for man’s overall benefit.
Of foremost concern is the need to make sure that internet security is well in
place to prevent the negative effects of the internet to innocent people.