When we mention the word Internet today, we talk about its existence as it prevails over our daily lives. The world today, as we know it is hard to imagine without the internet. The Internet is the system that has allowed computers and communications all over the world to connect with each other and to remain so.
The Internet first came to light in America in the 1970’s. But the general usage of the internet started in 1990’s. The internet has applications that we can use to access information or to connect to people, such as the World Wide Web, electronic mail, and other web browsers.
The internet has become powerful, accessible and immersive that human communications and information cannot be imagined without it. Immensely reducing the distances between countries, people, companies,it is the internet that allows us to be in collaboration with people who are far from us geographically. It is the Internet that gives us access to any kind of information in a matter of seconds.
Almost everything today, right from entertainment to work to education depends on the availability of the Internet. The dependence of our daily tasks on the Internet has especially surged since the Covid-19 pandemic, where people were unable to come out of their homes and depended on the internet for remaining connected to other people, shopping, for their studies, and for keeping themselves entertained.
The Internet can be used through cellular mode or it can be used through. Wifi. Earlier there were cables that provided internet access but in recent years that has changed and now we can access the internet anywhere in the world.
Some of the ways in which the internet has become useful, and has made our daily tasks easy are given below:
- Education: The internet has made the process of education easy and accessible to everyone. Students can learn from anywhere, at their own pace even. There is also a quick access to information on any subject, making learning affordable and fast paced. The presence of some free online courses made available by certain universities on digital platforms is another way the internet has made education accessible. The education sector relied heavily on the internet during the Covid-19 pandemic as online classes were held by every school, college and university. There are sources such as Youtube where some people upload content for free. This content may constitute skill development videos, or craft work, and people can take their own time with these.
- Online Shopping: E-commerce is a huge sector that has developed well and is still developing because of the internet. People can sell their goods online and those who are interested are also benefited from going out to stores and spending a long time looking at products. The internet also helps information spread to a large number of people in no time and hence can be a good place for an individual or a company to advertise for their product.
- Connectivity: The internet has managed to make the world a place where anyone can connect with anyone irrespective of the geographical distance between them. People, companies, and governments can connect with each other over the internet. One can send messages through email that take almost no time to be sent and received provided that both sides have an active internet connection. Governments can use platforms such as twitter etc to address or send information to the public.
People can talk through audio and video calls with their friends and family anytime, from anywhere in the world.
- Entertainment: Although outings with family, picnics and vacations with friends still remain the best form of fun that one can have, in today’s world, enjoyment and entertainment can be sought from the comfort of one’s house. Digital platforms such as Netflix, Amazon etc have made access to movies, documentaries, TV shows easy and largely affordable. We can browse our favourites from a list of thousands of movies.
Music is also largely available on platforms such as Youtube, where one can get access to every new song that is released.
People can play games over the internet as well.
- News and Media: We have access to people as well as media houses and news channels. There is an immense space for news channels to operate and make stories available to the public. People are being updated about everything that happens in the world, from the tiniest detail to the huge news story.
The internet’s uses are vaster than this. And if we delve into the services that the internet provides, we also have to take care of the disadvantages those services may bring with themselves. The internet has brought the world within the reach of a single click, but we have the responsibility to use it wisely.
