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Jamie Short
7th Grade, Custer County Westcliffe School
In today’s world, information is available at the touch of a button. Our perspective is no longer just what is happening in our local community. With international news coverage and the World Wide Web, people today are more connected than in any time in history. The internet allows the flow of information to be almost instantaneous. We can access information from anywhere at any time of the day. Knowledge of world events like a tsunami, a political uprising or a new president elected can be obtained in real time. Events happening in Africa, The Middle East, or even the South Pole are now available to us, when only a few years ago, we would have been oblivious to them. Education and resource available online have opened up new, previously unavailable opportunities for many. Shopping and business through the internet is changing not only our economy, but the world’s as well. Social communication is also changing with the cell-phone, texting and Internet chat rooms. Like with any media source or tool at our disposal, the internet can have both positive and/or negative effects on how we think and what we do with that information.
With such immediate access to news and information we need to remain open to all ideas, and now that what we read or see may not be the entire story. Headline news and only one-sided stories are all too often how far we reach out for information. The media has to include a certain amount of truth in their reporting, but they do not always have to incorporate both sides. History shows that people have a tendency to believe the printed word. For example, in the early American West, the so called “journalist” would gather partial information concerning events and characters found in their travels. After returning to their eastern towns they would sell their embellished stories to an eager public that was ignorant of the real happenings. Today, people want information in an instant and can form opinions based on only the headlines presented.
News stories from the internet produced by big communications networks may only provide brief information on what is happening. Documentaries may go deeper into detain and seem to have more truth because an independent journalist wrote them, but their opinion, oftentimes, is the only side presented. In some countries the media is controlled by the government. We only see and hear what they want us to However, with individuals capturing photos on their cell phones and downloading them to internet sites, or blogging, part of what is really happening may be revealed. This type of communication is based more from the individual on a more direct level, bypassing governmental spin. This can lead to global concern and possible action. Interaction with others is important to better understand the world we live in.
The online web provides venues, like chat rooms and blogs, to voice our opinions and bounce ideas off each other. People who often would remain quiet in a local community setting have a place to voice their opinions without the fear of local criticism. The “loud voice” may not be as much of a factor. This free flow of information can be creative in solving problems and also damaging if misused. It is important to remember, that the word written in these sites may be just an opinion and not written by someone who is an authority on a subject. The user must be aware that some sites are inflammatory and possibly prejudiced.
Stereotype and prejudice are just as easily made from internet use as they can be portrayed on television. If the individual allows his thinking to be clouded by slick writers or an altered photo, he may soon be caught up in untrue or half truth stories. Often times the headlines have junk crowding them about celebrities and sport happenings. Paid commercials and annoying popups also help create stereotypes and influence our thinking. Because the internet is not controlled as some forms of media, bogus information can circulate unchecked. Innocent people can be hurt by rumors and other things found on the internet. Spontaneous emails can be dangerous to your computer system, sometimes introducing viruses to it. Also, people can enter sites that say one thing, but are really something else. The producers of these sites may want to steal your identity or convince you of their opinions. The internet does not allow for face to face contact and dishonest people can more easily create opportunities to take advantage of you.
It is important to be careful with personal information while surfing and shopping on the internet. People surfing the web are often careless and hackers can steal information about you and steal your money. Each year almost 15 million Americans are victims of identity theft. Some sites can be dangerous but people still visit them, some may be shopping sites. People these days shop online because of its convenience. Small businesses and local neighborhood stores are feeling the effects of online shopping. The personal service and local cheer that was so common in the “mom and pop” store is fading in major chains such as Wal-Mart and Home Depot. And yet, having access to businesses worldwide can lead to new ideas and good deals.
Online searches are often a great place to research information in more depth. Professional journals, books, encyclopedias, educational resources, interviews, personal opinions, business goods are available with simple searches of the internet. With access to so many sources, education and research on the internet is expanding opportunities. These sources are not from just one country, social, economic or political group but diverse information from all over the world. This global interaction may provide insights helping to speed up work that leads to discoveries for science, business, social or other worldly problems and hopefully worldwide peace.
The internet is a great tool for research and education. It can lead to more creativity and can allow people to interact around the world. It allows us to communicate faster and be aware of what is going on. The internet makes the globe seem to be a smaller place to live in because we are all connected. Online shopping allows business to sell their stuff everywhere but it is only a tool. An individual cannot abuse the internet or they may become obsessed with it and possibly become isolated from the real world and become dependent upon it. People need face to face interaction to keep an open perspective on life and remain an independent thinker. What and how we receive as information and how it affects our opinion is an individual responsibility.