INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

Since all of us have our own daily needs and necessities the Internet possibly being one of them I would like my essay to focus on how the Internet impacts the lives of tertiary students such as those of us in this class at this moment in time. Just what is the Internet to us and how much is it affecting and influencing our character and lifestyles?

Wikipedia has this to say about our Internet:

1

The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard

Internet Protocol Suite (TCP/IP) to serve billions of users worldwide. It is a network of networks that consists of millions of private, public, academic, business, and government networks, of local to global scope, that are linked by a broad array of electronic, wireless and optical networking technologies. The Internet carries a vast range of information resources and services, such as the inter-linked hypertext documents of the World Wide Web (WWW) and the infrastructure to support electronic mail. In essence, the Internet is a whole lot of hardware from all over our planet which are connected in very clever and complex ways to enable us to use its multifarious software to do all sorts of cool things from armchair online shopping to zeroing-in on our home using Google Earth!

To teenagers on the brink of adulthood the Internet is an indispensible tool a fast and convenient means of communicating with friends and a well as an almost effortless way of getting information needed for assignments and coursework. We also use the Internet as a source of entertainment where the latest music or movie can be listened to and watched or downloaded for listening and viewing later on. Through email and social networking

channels such as Facebook, we are in constant contact with friends and acquaintances be it

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

via their computers or smartphones. Photos and videos can be sent and received without having to have them printed or burned onto CD or DVD and then sent by post. Hours are spent on Facebook and chat sites supposedly with the excuse of keeping in touch with friends and catching up on the latest news. Looking for material and articles for

assignments? Dont head for the nearest library because the virtual library of libraries is right at you own fingertips and just a few mouse clicks away. That is of course if you have broadband. Otherwise head down to the nearest cybercafe with your pendrive and you will be more than adaquetly equipped to scounge for all the material you need and more. And if you are feeling tired or bored after long bouts of finger tapping the keyboard and clicking away with the mouse, just reward yourself with a few minutes of the latest music or videos on Youtube. You can even download your reward as you continue your search for useful information you require for your various assignment. Such phenomenal advances in Internet access speeds and applications have revolutionised the way we communicate with each other; the way we access and gather information as well as the way we entertain ourselves. And all this for a paltry RM48 a month (Celcom Broadband for Government Servants).

For all that the Internet is to us, providing us with almost limitless access to people and places, information and entertainment et cetera, is it really improving our quality of life? There are many other factors to consider and as a coin has two faces, so too has the double-edged sword of the Internet as we know it today. I do not doubt that many of us have benefitted immensly from being able to connect to the Internet to use it for emailing our friends, internet banking, online shopping, gaming and watching movies et cetera but I am convinced that to some degree many or us are addicted to the Internet. The result of such addiction can be alarming to say the least.
2

Dr. Ivan Goldberg , a New York City

psychiatrist who coined the term Internet Addiction Disorder or IAD says that the problem

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

is not a recognized medical addiction like alcoholism, but more like an out-of control behaviour that threatens to overwhelm the addicts normal life. As with any sort of

addiction, the effects are similar. The addict loses control over his ability to distance himself from the source of his addiction. Valuable time and energy are spent on feeding his

addiction and socially he may be connected to many people in cyberspace but his family members, relatives, friends and colleagues find themselves more and more alienated from him with each passing day. Denial and delusion may set in and the addict will not only need whatever is left of the will power within but outside help as well will be crucial in treating his malady. Are we slowly drifing to such a situation in our lives? The tell-tale symptoms of IAD includes losing control over the time we spend online, lying to others about the time we actually spend internet surfing, a longing need to get connected after waking up in the morning, needing more and more time to satiate our need to be online and failing repeatedly in our many attempts to reduce the amount of time we surf the Internet. If you are showing signs or IAD, get help soon see a counselor, tell a friend who is not an Internet addict or get support from whatever organisation out there that is offering to help you overcome this problem. One hurdle that may arise is that the organisation you seek may be offering its

services online and you will be set back to square one!

Those who are not addicted to the Internet may find themselves facing other problems that they are not fully aware of. Many young people such as us are easily swayed by sweet talk even though it is by way of emails or online chatting. The different personas we meet online real or concocted may have dubious intentions which we are not privy to. An unsuspecting teenager may be vulnerable to the enticements and adulations received from such fraudsters and end up a victim of stolen identities, online stalking and other more henious cybercrimes. Others may be enticed by whatever is on offer over the Internet, be

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

they legal or otherwise. Just clicking on to sign up for these unscrupulous services may be a costly affair in the long run as the fine print for such contracts always benefits the service provider, for example, recurring billings and penalties for terminating contracts prematurely. Surely we should be a lot smarter nowadays but such is human nature.

One slow but sure outcome of our preoccupation with the Internet is the detrimental effect our online habits are wrecking on our health. Being in front of the computer screen for lenghty periods of time will tire our eyes and may bring on blurry vision and probably glaucoma in the long term. Upper limb disorders (ULD), backpains, headaches and

facebook depression are some of the other health problems youngsters expose themselves to when they spend way too much time online. Skipping meals and erratic dietary behaviour too will have its toil on our bodies physically and mentally. Irregular sleep patterns as well as lack of sleep may further deteriorate our bodys immune system and ultimately will cause use to get sick easily when compared to a person with a healthy body. With so much time and energy spent in front of the computer whatever time is left will definitely not be devoted to healthy physical exercise thus compounding the already enormous fitness problem being faced by internet addicts. Our mental health and well-being too will nosedive due to our tendency to distance ourselves from those who are physically around us in preference to those we are connected to in cyber space. Reality becomes unreal to us as the virtual world surrounds us with it alluaring web of curiosity, fun and camaraderie. What is left of the addict is an empty shell of a once lively person with real human characteristics. A Internet zombie in the making is what youngsters these days will become if we are not vigilant enough to prevent this from becoming reality.

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

Humans are social by nature but with the ever growing onslaught of temptations to go online and connect with others in cyber space, the quality time that we are supposed to spend with out loved ones is stolen by the no longer traditional thief of time, Procrastination, but by the new villans of the broadband the Internet and its cohorts. We may become more anti-social and shy away from human relationships in deference to virtual realtionships with personas who mask and adorn themselves with all sorts of titles and terms of endearment. The new Social Networks destroys our present social structure in society and may in the end unravel the very core of our social existence. Such is the destructive force which is seemingly invisible but produces very visible results if we care enough to observe what goes on on a daily basis.

In conclusion, I would like to state that the Internet has indeed altered forever the way we communicate with one another. It has also changed the way we perceive our world today. Some of the venom that poisons our society today is spewed from the Internet and the services it offers its ever growing horde of users both young and old. Our human characteristics are slowly but perceptibly altered as we adopt ever changing lifestyles brought on or influenced by the Internet and all its tempting offerings. We lean towards lifestyles that are bereft of lively human interaction. If we persist in our present ways, I am certain it will eventually lead the way to the end of humanity.

INTERNET IN OUR DAILY LIFE References: 1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet

CHRISTOPHER LYE WAI MENG IPGM KAMPUS TAR 20/10/2011

2. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/index.htm 3. http://iml.jou.ufl.edu/projects/students/purdy/addiction.htm 4. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2830415/ 5. http://www.intac.net/ten-health-concerns-resulting-from-internet-usage/