There is no doubt that the ‘noughties’ have been the Internet decade. Although the Internet has been around for many years, it was not available until the last few years. Statistics show that almost two billion people on Earth use the Internet. It’s the best way to connect with people and get information.
Or is that it?
The Internet is often called the information superhighway because of the amount of knowledge available at hand. Not all of this information is reliable, but opinions are available in case you want to subscribe. This is the first reason why the Internet is not what it seems. A quick search using any search engine will show you a series of opinions on any topic. Everything from alien conspiracies to flat Earth society will clog your brain with “facts” and under-researched material. There are sites dedicated to every cause you can think of (and many that don’t). Some of this material is valuable, most of it is not. The deeper you go into a certain topic, the more you will get confused. Here’s a helpful tip: never type your symptoms into Google. You will think that you are dying!
Cyberbullying is a growing problem, especially among children and teens. Social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook allow people to “connect.” These sites try to stay on top of privacy, but they don’t appear to be winning the stakes with cyberbullying. It is too easy to track someone on the Internet and intimidate them. A Google search of my own name shows my Facebook page, some articles that I have written for EzineArticles.com and that I gained a few entries a couple of years ago. This is my “Google footprint” and it’s easy for haters to find me (luckily, I don’t have many …) What information are your teens posting? Think of it this way: Would you stand in the middle of a soccer field and scream that you are going on vacation for two weeks? Think about the danger you and your home would put yourself in. What you put on the Internet is very, very public.
However, the things that make the Internet unpleasant are also the things that make it good. Information on health is abundant, for example. Imagine that you have been diagnosed with a little known disease, something you have never heard of. The Internet will show that you are not the only one who suffers from it and that there may be other patients in your community with whom you can chat and support. It’s easy to keep up with the news on the go, get the latest sports scores, or see what your favorite celebrity is up to. Want to find a dark song from 1963? It is on the Internet somewhere.
Your “Google footprint” is extremely useful for marketing purposes. If you have any type of business, you need to have an Internet presence. Your business may be offline (like car maintenance), but without a website, you will lose business. If your business is online, make your name known. Use the Internet for all your benefits. Internet marketing is big business, generating millions of dollars in revenue for anyone willing to jump on the bandwagon.
People have found lost loves, forgotten friends, and tracked their families through time using the Internet. It can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It can make you earn money in a jiffy or lose it all. It’s a game, it’s time to learn the rules.