I think the Internet has impacted us in many important ways. I don't think that I can pick out only one to be the most important. The Internet allows access to research and information. We can access news from CNN, The New York Times, etc...We have access to communities like Facebook and MySpace. According to the Newsweek article, Zuckerberg says Facebook is a utility took to facilitate information from the user to friends, family, and for professional connections. It's available to everyone, and is a world-changing idea of unlimited potential. One of the articles mentions how disgruntled people were when the newsfeed app started on Facebook. I was one of them at first. Now it's kind of fun to see what other people have done - what quizzes they took or things they've sent to other people. One of the articles also mentions when Facebook opened up to everyone. I wasn't a fan of that at first. Now I like it because I can keep in touch with family members and friends who aren't in college or didn't go.
Addiction and privacy, in my opinion, are the most unsettling aspects of technology. According to the readings, some people stay online for 40 hours a week - like a full time job. Some addictions lead to divorce and/or to alienate themselves from family and friends. The Center for Internet Addiction site is interesting. I took the Internet Addiction Test and scored a 21:
"You are an average on-line user. You may surge the Web a bit too long at times, but you have control over your usage".
I know this is a bit OT but...privacy is another concerning aspect of technology. Predators can go on-line and prey on children or even those with low self-esteem. I think something else worth mentioning is cyber-bullying. For example, the young girl who committed suicide after receiving messages from the parents of a classmate.
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