WWW, nothing more than a virtual space, filled with information in which the items of interest, identified by global identifiers called Uniform Resource Identifiers (URI) are being universally available to make use of them in countless possible ways.
This virtual medium is playing a huge part in many people’s lives. It enables us to communicate, work and play in a global context. Many of us, whether we like it or not, are entirely dependent on this medium. Some argue that it is all about relationships between individuals, groups, and communities where they wouldn’t have been otherwise; a community without borders, limits, or even rules that has become a true world of its own.
As everything in life there is also an argument surrounding this all-changing invention. Some say that it indeed is the best thing that could ever happened to the human kind; others have completely opposite views. I have to admit that at this stage of writing this post I am very confused and unable to tell you whether I see the internet as being positive or negative.
When was the last time you checked teletext, for sport, news or lottery numbers; when have you received a hand-written letter from your relative or a lover; or displayed your holiday photos in an album? – the real, physical photo album I mean – not Dropbox or Picasa.
Many argue this days that the internet has significantly change the way we think and behave today, and in this process killed life experiences and habits that have emerged over centuries.
Knowledge, no longer prized thanks to Google or Wikipedia who made almost any fact accessible within seconds; memories less important; attention spans declined.
The rainy days that we would once have filled by reading a favourite novel, clearing out the drawers playing euro business or mulling the world out a window, consumed by idle surfing.
The falling prestige of experts in the digital age; the decline of respect for doctors and other professionals, thanks to the popularity of self-diagnosis websites.
The art of handwriting, dying due to pencils being replaced by keyboards not only in offices but classrooms as well.
Pub quizzes, ruined by the sounds of mobile devices; impatience – everyone wants everything at the press of a click; tasks that once took days can be completed in seconds, while traditions and skills that emerged over centuries have been made all but redundant; no phone directories, music stores; no shared experience of watching television together – it is on demand, on the go, on the mobile, on the tablet.
That’s not everything. What about the read out loud telegrams at wedding parties, geographical knowledge, privacy, playing cards, Grand National trips to the bookmaker or the bloody reputation of Chuck Norris? Want more? What about free, hard-core pornography on the web, the uncontrolled source of emotional and mental damage for everyone including our children; lives ruined by viral clips distributed on the Web used by activists to highlight injustices and bring down oppressive regimes….
Wow that was intense :0 just before you decide to close that page due to the fact that i am the most pessimistic and ungrateful person you ever heard, let’s take look at the positives brought to us by the same internet.
More than any technical definition, the Web is a way that people communicate; it revolutionized the way we communicate, not only within our societies but with the whole world. We have grown to be dependent on this technology – it has transformed the way that we manage our lives. It’s made up of personal relationships, business partnerships, and global associations.
It is hard to imagine our lives without internet; no emails, access to online banking, latest news, weather reports, on-demand television, social networking or online shopping.
On the web anyone can become an international star thanks to YouTube for example; we don’t need the weatherman anymore; we don’t need to ask for directions; in fact we don’t have to ask for anything anymore, there is always uncle Google willing to give us an answer to any questions we can possibly come up with. But online TV, shopping or social media aren’t really that important at all, probably most of us would agree that this aspects of the www could not be invented at all.
As well as bringing all this obvious benefits like allowing journals to be published online and links to be made from one page to another; the collaborative work within the business sectors, where employees can share strategies, give feedback to management, react to new products and campaigns, and help to shape the overall direction of the company; the interactions with customers or global recruitment; it has also permitted professional scientists to recruit thousands of amateurs to give them a hand with a countless projects aiming for expansion of knowledge and the improvement of the human lives. Internet allows people to work together, share information, and reach new and potentially enormous audiences outside some of the traditional structures of power, authority, and communication in our society.
Internet has this huge potential to decentralize control over the flow of global information, to shift the balance of power from the elite to the masses.
It is Friday afternoon, the sun is still up high, I can hear the birds chirping outside through the gap in our office window; I have to say that I am really looking forward to the weekend and the Easter Holiday starting next week. It Is not as easy as it seems to tell you what my standpoint on the above reflection is. I love internet; it allowed me to be where I am right now. It definitely helped me to become the person I am; it allows me to learn, be involved and expand; but most of all it feeds my family.
As I started this post I thought, if only I had the power to back the time I wouldn’t hesitate even for one second; however the mood has changed since. I think that human kind is all about progress and even if things look bad for the time being, I believe that the world is moving forward, it is moving towards better feature; it is the evolution and right now we are a part of it. We should be proud of what we have achieved and keep positive so that there will be enough time for the good to win the battle.
Have a great weekend everyone 🙂 oh and Happy Easter.
Damian Budny is a Creative Thinker and Web Developer at Happy Creative, a full service marketing and creative agency based in Blackpool, Lancashire. To learn more or contact us please go towww.happy-creative.co.uk
