Is the Internet a boon or a bane for society?
The question is tricky. It is almost like asking if the eating of an ice cream is good or bad? It all depends on at what stage of health one attempts to eat it. If you are down with the flu, of course, ice cream will be a disaster statement. However, in summer, it can add to fun & frolic. In general, ice cream means fun, and we have to go by the law of averages.
The question if the Internet is a boon or bane has to be decided by the law of averages as well. The invention of the Internet has benefitted humankind in many dimensional levels. The percentage of it having harmed human race is more about the evil side of the human mind. The Internet is a boon then. Indeed.
Imagine the amount of things the Internet has done. First, it has broken down the world borders. It has made it one playing field. Be it business, relationships, tourism all have benefitted exponentially.
The Internet has reconnected the broken wires of human relationships. Gone are the days when parents waited for that single call from son overseas. A face that arrived back home after five years was all disconnected emotionally and materially. Today the connection is back. Thanks to the Internet. Parents and children can share laughter, moments, money, and pictures at the same time, every time. The Internet has given the contentment back to most parents.
The arrival of the Internet has even changed the world of business. The knowledge that was typically locked away into mysterious corridors of elite schools for a high price tag is available to anyone who has it in him. India is the perfect example of how beautifully the country has used the Internet to surge ahead in the world order.
The Internet has made it possible for everyone to understand that there is more to life than just the need to race on a money track. That life is beyond the regular mom and pop routine. That you can be anything you want. For a mind with million dreams, the Internet has opened infinite opportunities. The moment of self-fulfillment in the law of hierarchy has arrived, thanks to the Internet.
The argument about the Internet being a bane depends on how ready the society is to use the tool for the right things. Once again if one comes back to Indian example, the country with the enormous young population was brewing with ideas, imagination and the Internet just connected all those dots. They went after the opportunity in a magnificent manner changing the world’s perception of Indians. The “Start-Up” capital of the world, Indians & Internet are soulful companions.
It is true that the Internet gets used for many insane things as well. One regularly hears of heinous crimes happening around the world. The Internet gets used to propagate those horrific acts. There is another phenomenon. The Asian countries with several social norms have received a cultural jolt with boundary-less Internet. A lot of young adults have got exposed to things that parents would have loved to keep for a later date. The culture churning because of the Internet almost makes one feel that this infinite phenomenon has no end and it has invaded our private worlds.
However, once again to decide anything as boon or bane, one needs first understand the complex socio-economic fabric from where the person sees the idea of the Internet.
Boon or Bane? The Internet is a boon to today’s society for sure.