Social implications of the Internet - Essay Example

These innovations facilitated a tremendous flow of information, in the technical, business, cultural, political and entertainment fields. They also created a mass society, hungry for new products, better services, entertainment and general awareness, which resulted in an explosive growth in the advertisement - production - consumption cycle. Though the telephone, and to a certain extent the telegraph, had a limited scope for a two way interaction between ordinary citizens, the other media like radio and television presented only a one way flow of information.

These media were still not truly interactive. The combination of all the above technologies, and also the innovations in electronics, led to the development of computers and private local networks. They allowed, for the first time, a two way exchange of written as well as graphic information between the networked computers. Since the use of these networks was initially limited to research and defence, they were more or less under the control of the government. Surprisingly, this very fact was instrumental in the further development of computing and networking technology. . s were made by a few individuals for the people, the Internet was a development which became 'of the people, by the people and for the people', with a much larger portion of the mass society participating in the development process.

The integration of the concept of World Wide Web with the internet, and also the advancement in Satellite Communication has practically connected each individual to every other, across the globe. The social impact of this phenomenon is unprecedented. With the refinement in the computer languages, the common man, with minimal or no expertise, has also been made part of this fully interactive medium, and can now explore, process and share any type of information, whether written or graphic, with any other person, in any part of the world, without taking a step out of his house.

Right from children in schools, to senior citizens in retirement, the complete society has been integrated. The concept of Small office-Home office ( SOHO) is gaining popularity, reducing the necessity of commuting to the work place. Outsourcing of work is another development, which has made a considerable social impact, because of the internet. The society has also greatly benefited from the improvements in the service industry such as Banking, Insurance, Medical services, tourism etc., all due to the Internet.

Like any other technology, the Internet is not without its set of problems. The major problem is uncontrolled uploading and downloading of information. Pornographic and other unsuitable content is already corrupting young minds. It is extremely difficult to invoke legal provisions in business transactions, due to the global reach of the Internet, and due to the absence of strong, mature and enforceable Cyber laws. Innocent people often fall prey to smart