Is Internet Beneficial or Harmful?

The Internet provides many benefits through its multiple applications. It has made our life comfortable by creating fast and seamless communication with our friends, family members, and colleagues through apps like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, and Twitter.  Almost everything that was done manually earlier can be done with the help of the internet. So, whether it is to book an air ticket or to send money to your loved one, or to maintain a long-distance relationship, you bank on this technology.
The Role of the Internet in Education
The Internet has great application in the field of education. Now one eBook could be shared by hundreds of students. Previously, to get a highly sought-after book from school or college library, students had to wait for months before it was issued to them. But now the entire study material is available in digital form and there is no limitation on the number of users who can browse through that book for more information to click here single point vs two point sling.
The Internet has also opened the floodgates of information that is available with platforms like Google and Wikipedia. School and college students often need a lot of information especially when they need to complete a project. Now, the internet is the most ideal platform for seeking various information.
One just needs a smartphone with an internet connection to access the storehouse of knowledge. They also get a chance to know the views of other students, teachers, and experts in a particular field. Not only that, they are able to interact, chat and talk to such people that add to their current knowledge.
Excessive Use May Cause Mental Issues and Depression
However, it has a lot of negative sides as well. Frequent use of the internet can cause stress, anxiety, and depression, and many other problems among users. When it becomes an addiction, it diverts your attention from the work. Whether you are a student preparing for your exams, or an office employee doing your regular work, or running a business, you cannot deny that the internet is highly useful technology.
Mental problems like anxiety and depression are so widespread among young people that now there are designated platforms like Connect app that has started providing professional counseling services to help such people. At present, no popular social channel like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter has such a facility on their platform. Therefore, the initiative taken by this Indian social media app is credible and praise-worthy.
The Internet can be quite addictive and can take a lot of our time and the arrival of social media has further increased this addiction. The time spent on these platforms can be used in productive activities.  People who are used to online gaming are hooked to the internet at all times.
It May Compromises Your Privacy and Security
Moreover, incidents of hacking of email accounts, online bank accounts, and leakage of personal information from mobiles are quite common these days. Due to hacking, people bear huge financial losses and experience stress in their personal relationships. There are many people who have made fake profiles on social media by stealing the personal information of other people. Commenting on everything has become such a trend on social media.
There are people who are looking at your profile, and they might steal your personal information.  Such things have resulted in crimes like kidnapping and blackmailing. The Internet can cause a lot of negative effects on children. Most parents provide their children with internet connections to help them in their studies and prepare for their exams. However, children often use it for activities such as gaming, social media, and other forms of entertainment.
It can be a Pretty Dangerous Place
Many times they use it to watch porn and videos that are replete with violence. Such things are harmful to their mental health as they tend to become aggressive. There are a lot of people who use it for promoting spamming businesses. Although it can be an ideal medium for promoting and expanding businesses, it can also prove to be inconvenient for consumers.
Nowadays, most businesses use the internet to market their products and services and use various emails to send spamming messages to our inbox. There are instances when important emails are erased because of spamming. Sometimes people lose their digital copies of important documents like PAN, Aadhaar, property papers, and details of IT returns that were kept in their inboxes.
One of the best uses of the net is online shopping that has made the whole experience easier. Now, we do not need to visit different markets to search for our requirements. Everything we need is available on the internet, and you can find it at a very competitive price in a matter of few seconds. However, the ease of shopping often makes us buy more than what we need. Moreover, there are many online portals that have hidden fees about which we learn only later on.
Loss of physical activity
These days, people are so busy watching online videos, playing online games, and chatting with people online that they often ignore the importance of going out and joining outdoor activities. Excessive use of social media also results in health problems like obesity, migraine, and sleep disorder. Outdoor activities are very important for the growth of children but these days they prefer things like online games.
Previously youngsters indulged in a lot of outdoor activities like playing games such as Cricket, Football, Volleyball, and Badminton. For most children, it was routine to meet every evening in the neighborhood playground, and participate in games. Spending an hour every day with friends playing their favorite games worked like a tonic for them. This kept them physically fit and mentally agile. Internet is undoubtedly a blessing but it also has many disadvantages. Its biggest drawback is it has made us lonelier than ever before. We have become so hooked to our mobiles and laptops that we often fail to appreciate the beauty of people in our lives. Because of the primacy of the Internet, children and elderly people who need more care and attention are often get sidelined. This is high time we should limit our internet use and live a more meaningful life.