How Electronic Access to Information Impacts our Daily Lives

Alya Seker
January 28, 2020

The Internet was invented in 1983 (2). Before then, people couldn’t search up the menu of a restaurant they want to go to, they couldn't search up cute dog pictures. They only had books, maps, and photographs that would lie around the house. Only 37 years later, our whole lives are controlled by the internet. It makes life easier. We can call and text people with very minimal difficulties. We can search up any random facts we want. We are one click away from finding the information of someone who lives on the opposite side of the Earth. With the internet, we have access to anything and everything, anytime and anywhere. The internet isn’t just Google; it includes things like social media and webcasts. It includes everything that is a daily part of our lives. As much as the internet makes life 100 times easier than before 1983, it has some negative effects; whether it be on one’s mental health, relationships between people, or even relationships between countries.

The World and Technology

Although we are in an age where technology is taking over our lives, there are still some countries around the world who aren’t as involved in this technological era. Haiti, for example, is “the least technologically advanced country in the world.” (6). It is still recovering from the earthquake in 2010, and they have fought endless battles for freedom which "drained out the country’s economy,” (6). Another country that isn’t very involved in the technological era is North Korea. The country's “Supreme Leader” Kim Jong-Un banned things like watching television, access to the World Wide Web, and interactions with people outside the country through social media. It is said that “North Korea is a country that represents violation of human rights.” (6).

The Positive Effects of Technology

Ask anybody, and they will likely say that they rely on technology in their daily lives. It helps make everything easier. You can talk with friends and family over long distances. You can be more efficient by typing up documents rather than handwriting them. You can shop and do banking online. You can find any information you want using wikis, blogs, or other websites. You can take online courses with an ease of research for your education. You can find job opportunities more easily as vacancies are advertised online. You can use things like Webinars and Webcasts can help you learn different life skills or anything else. Businesses can hold meetings online rather than paying for everyone's flight to a specific spot (1). Because of technology, people can work more quickly and save vital time (3). This is only a small list of things that technology offers us. Overall, electronic access of information eases our lives to a point where we cannot imagine life without technology.

The Negative Effects of Technology

As much as technology like social media, webcasts an wikis make life easier, it affects our lives negatively to a point where it could even cost someone's life. Instant messaging and social media can lead to bad causes of cyberbullying. 1 in 3 young people in 30 countries have claimed to be victims of cyberbullying. 2 out of 3 of those children are experiencing mental health problems (5). When cyberbullying reaches an extreme level, it can even lead to the victim committing suicide. “It is easy for the bully to say very bad things to the victim, as they do not have to face the person after they have hurt them and feel bad for the things they have said and done.” (4). Cyberbullying is an important concept, however, it sometimes reaches a point where it cannot be categorized as just cyberbullying anymore; it can become forms of terrorism. Although the ease of access to information makes life easier in many ways, the things that go on in reality can be very contradictory to that statement. The internet provides an easy access of inappropriate or even illegal material to people of all ages. Also, considering that the internet is a source open to the public, everyone leaves a unique digital footprint. Everything you say or do on the internet can be traced back to you. People can easily hack into accounts and steal personal information, including money. So, as nice as it is to have technology to help us through our daily lives, it is important to be cautious of the way we use it.

Recap

Before the internet existed, everything was done manually. Whether it's writing novels with a typewriter where you couldn’t press “Backspace”, or studying for exams in libraries with one source for information, books. The internet has made life easier and fast-paced, but perhaps too fast-paced. We rely on our phones and computers to do most of our daily tasks for us that we forget how to do it ourselves (i.e. like setting timers to when an email should send rather than remembering to do it ourselves). The internet may be the best thing to ever happen in recent years, but it does cause detriments to many lives. Overall, the internet is something that we need in order to make life more efficient, but it is something that must be used properly, otherwise leading to unpleasant consequences.

Follow-Up Questions

1. What are three positive effects of the ease of electronic access to information?

2. What are three negative effects of the ease of electronic access to information?

3. What are the two main countries listed in this article that are not involved in this technological era as much as everyone else? Explain how.

Works Cited

1. “10 Steps for Leading Productive Meetings.” AMA, 19 Mar. 2019, https://www.amanet.org/webcasts/10-steps-for-leading-productive-meetings/.

2. Andrews, Evan. “Who Invented the Internet?” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 18 Dec. 2013, https://www.history.com/news/who-invented-the-internet.

3. Broadband, Asianet. “Internet Effects on Society: Positive and Negative Impact of Internet.” Asianet Broadband, 4 Dec. 2018, https://asianetbroadband.in/effects-of-the-internet-on-society/.

4. “Electronic Access to Information - Computers and Society 3.” Google Sites, https://sites.google.com/a/danteacademy.ca/computers-and-society-3/home/electronic-access-to-infromation.

5. “Enough Is Enough: Cyberbullying.” Enough Is Enough: Cyberbullying, https://enough.org/stats_cyberbullying.

6. Tiwari, Ritika. “15 Countries Where Technology Is 20 Years Behind The Rest Of The World.” Theclever, Theclever, 27 July 2017, https://www.theclever.com/15-countries-where-technology-is-20-years-behind-the-rest-of-the-world/.