Navigating internet in intelligent and productive manner
Saturday, 7 May 2011
Shafiqul Alam
Perhaps internet has been one of the most exhilarating events in the last century. Internet seems powerful because it has uniqueness with which no other mechanisms do match: firstly, the Internet contains the largest resource of information; secondly, it enables people to obtain an interactive mechanism to instantly communicate with others. Once connected with the Internet, anyone can enjoy the unparalleled richness of global information resources including textual, audio, graphic information etcetera. Furthermore, the internet information resources are constantly expanding at such a great speed that one can only make a rough estimate. The internet not only has information as vast as the ocean, but also has its interactive mechanisms-net to net, net to people, and people to people communication, that makes the internet to take on any task: entertainment, interpersonal exchanges, education, health and medicine, information gathering, securities, investment, trade and settlement of commercial goods, even online voting, etc. Searching the net with Google, one can find everything he wants. Nowadays almost every bank offers electronic banking such as E-cash which is more faster then going to the bank. Next advantage of internet is email. Internet mails get in a few seconds in their destinations. It is very important when one wants to send something for example to other country. Of course he can send not only texts but also whatever he wants, such as: movies, photos, songs, computer programs etc. Cost effectiveness is an important advantage of email. Sending an email is much cheaper than phoning, or sending normal letters. All these seemed ever so remote and unrealistic only yesterday. Useful as it is, the internet has many shortcomings, most of which are brought by people abusing this device and turned it into a threat to the society as well as country. There are deceitful web sites where just with an inadvertent click, computers will be blocked and have to be restarted, private information will be detected, and it can be completely damaged and have to be reformatted. The most annoying thing for the "Internet citizens" is that the computer can be easily affected by internet viruses and many web sites are linked to advertisements and spam linking to pornography web sites. The accessibility of sexual websites and their wide-ranging circulations has turned out to be an alarming problem. They have smashed traditional customs and spoiled the wholesome development of many teenagers of all classes, resulting harmful and unwanted consequences such as unconscious mental illness. These harmful websites make teenagers fall into a dejected lifestyle. Also, people easily become inactive because they are attached to the computers all the time. As pleasant as it is to make new friends or keeping in touch with love ones living far away, chatting is also becoming a problem for many teenagers and even children. The average time many youth now spend on chatting is about seven or eight hours a day. Many young boys and girls not only make friends, but also find their love on the internet. Beside the useful forums for making friends or sharing valuable information, there are many useless chat rooms which people use to criticise or insult those they do not like. The entertainment from online game is truly a treat to many, but it is becoming a hazard quite quickly. A great variety of online games make many people, both children and adults, become so addicted that they would stay at the cyber cafes refusing to go home or even stay up all night playing games. For teenagers, it is popular to go to net rooms after school or even skip school in order to play games. Now, Facebook, a site that is used by the groups of all ages, has become a mania not only at home but also at workplace. The advantage is that it connects with family, friends and relatives and one can post anything on his wall. But the way people spend their valuable time in facebook chatting is really a matter to ponder. Again, people who spend too much time sitting in front of computer may fall ill. It is also harmful to the spine. Sometimes, Internet can be addictive. Some people just can not live without it. They have no real friends and when internet is down they get furious. Once the internet is open, the advantages of using it will be accompanied by its harmful impacts. Therefore, at a time, when the internet applications have penetrated to all the aspects of our lives, we must try to navigate in an intelligent, safe, and productive manner to enjoy all the benefits out of it. The writer is an engineer and can be reached at Email: shafiq@iidfc.com
Perhaps internet has been one of the most exhilarating events in the last century. Internet seems powerful because it has uniqueness with which no other mechanisms do match: firstly, the Internet contains the largest resource of information; secondly, it enables people to obtain an interactive mechanism to instantly communicate with others. Once connected with the Internet, anyone can enjoy the unparalleled richness of global information resources including textual, audio, graphic information etcetera. Furthermore, the internet information resources are constantly expanding at such a great speed that one can only make a rough estimate. The internet not only has information as vast as the ocean, but also has its interactive mechanisms-net to net, net to people, and people to people communication, that makes the internet to take on any task: entertainment, interpersonal exchanges, education, health and medicine, information gathering, securities, investment, trade and settlement of commercial goods, even online voting, etc. Searching the net with Google, one can find everything he wants. Nowadays almost every bank offers electronic banking such as E-cash which is more faster then going to the bank. Next advantage of internet is email. Internet mails get in a few seconds in their destinations. It is very important when one wants to send something for example to other country. Of course he can send not only texts but also whatever he wants, such as: movies, photos, songs, computer programs etc. Cost effectiveness is an important advantage of email. Sending an email is much cheaper than phoning, or sending normal letters. All these seemed ever so remote and unrealistic only yesterday. Useful as it is, the internet has many shortcomings, most of which are brought by people abusing this device and turned it into a threat to the society as well as country. There are deceitful web sites where just with an inadvertent click, computers will be blocked and have to be restarted, private information will be detected, and it can be completely damaged and have to be reformatted. The most annoying thing for the "Internet citizens" is that the computer can be easily affected by internet viruses and many web sites are linked to advertisements and spam linking to pornography web sites. The accessibility of sexual websites and their wide-ranging circulations has turned out to be an alarming problem. They have smashed traditional customs and spoiled the wholesome development of many teenagers of all classes, resulting harmful and unwanted consequences such as unconscious mental illness. These harmful websites make teenagers fall into a dejected lifestyle. Also, people easily become inactive because they are attached to the computers all the time. As pleasant as it is to make new friends or keeping in touch with love ones living far away, chatting is also becoming a problem for many teenagers and even children. The average time many youth now spend on chatting is about seven or eight hours a day. Many young boys and girls not only make friends, but also find their love on the internet. Beside the useful forums for making friends or sharing valuable information, there are many useless chat rooms which people use to criticise or insult those they do not like. The entertainment from online game is truly a treat to many, but it is becoming a hazard quite quickly. A great variety of online games make many people, both children and adults, become so addicted that they would stay at the cyber cafes refusing to go home or even stay up all night playing games. For teenagers, it is popular to go to net rooms after school or even skip school in order to play games. Now, Facebook, a site that is used by the groups of all ages, has become a mania not only at home but also at workplace. The advantage is that it connects with family, friends and relatives and one can post anything on his wall. But the way people spend their valuable time in facebook chatting is really a matter to ponder. Again, people who spend too much time sitting in front of computer may fall ill. It is also harmful to the spine. Sometimes, Internet can be addictive. Some people just can not live without it. They have no real friends and when internet is down they get furious. Once the internet is open, the advantages of using it will be accompanied by its harmful impacts. Therefore, at a time, when the internet applications have penetrated to all the aspects of our lives, we must try to navigate in an intelligent, safe, and productive manner to enjoy all the benefits out of it. The writer is an engineer and can be reached at Email: shafiq@iidfc.com