Week 1 - Task 2b

Differing views on the Internet

Like with every new form of media, the introduction of the internet was met with mixed reponses. There are so many positives to having the internet, but there are also some problems and issues that arise from having this facility.

Security is a major issue. With internet banking being available now there are many moral panics in that financial information will be stolen, and in some cases this has occured. However, this has lead to better security via more passwords, etc. The issue of fraud is another worry as many sites ask you to give all your personal details and often credit card details, and there is always a chance people could get access to this information. This has made people quite weary about putting their personal details online and this has lead to many people still going to banks and shops in the highstreet instead of doing it on the internet.

Another concern if the use of internet is that this could lead to the decline in need for highstreet shops. With so many options of shopping online for your food and even your holidays, there is becoming less need to go into the actual shops to perform these tasks as you can do it from the comfort of your own home. However, i believe the enjoyment of the personal experience of walking into a shop and having one-to-one help from a sales assistant will never die out and therefore highstreet shops will never die out either.

A highly disturbing moral panic of the internet is children's safety concerning paedophiles. There are many publishised cases over the years of children being taking advantage of by paedophiles using the internet and chat rooms as a tool of getting close to them. Many children are naive to the intentions of these people and it can lead to horrible situations. However, as this concern is so highly publishised in the media i believe chat rooms and community sites such as Myspace etc have stepped up their security as a result of this. Also, parents are much more aware of this problem now and will constantly watch what they're children are doing on the internet which i believe this will decrease this moral panic.

There are also lots of positives to having the internet and why people are so keen on its usage. It is a great way to stay in touch with people, especially if you have friends who live over-seas as sites such as Facebook and Myspace let you communicate and send messages and pictures to people all over the world. Also, MSN is really good at talking to people in real-time and you can have a conversation with them with the use of webcam which is a cheaper version of a phone call!!

I know that i would not be able to cope without the internet as it helps me out in my day to day tasks and is great for researching and booking cheap holidays. As well as keeping in touch with friend, researching for essays and holidays are my other main uses of the internet and i think i have benefited a lot from it. I know there are many worries concerning the use of internet, but as long as you are careful when using it and don't give out your personal details then i think it is a great tool to use.

Do you agree?