The Advantages & Disadvantages of The Internet:


The Internet or the World Wide Web is indeed a wonderful and amazing addition in our lives.

The Internet can be known as a kind of global meeting place where people from all parts of

the world can come together. It is a service available on the computer, through which

everything under the sun is now at the fingertips of anyone who has access to the Internet.


To get ‘online’, meaning to connect to the Internet, you need to have

A Computer: Computer equipment is a sizeable investment and thus you should select a

computer carefully. Before buying a computer, understand your needs and then choose one

accordingly. See that it comes with a warranty and that after sales service is available in case

you need it.

Internet Service Provider: This is the software that you will require to get online. You can now

choose from a dial-up service or 24-hour broadband services. This is the service that will

help you to connect to the Internet and start your surfing experiences.


Advantages of the Internet
The Internet provides opportunities galore, and can be used for a variety of things. Some of

the things that you can do via the Internet are:

E-mail: E-mail is an online correspondence system. With e-mail you can send and receive

instant electronic messages, which works like writing letters. Your messages are delivered

instantly to people anywhere in the world, unlike traditional mail that takes a lot of time


Access Information: The Internet is a virtual treasure trove of information. Any kind of

information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet. The ‘search engines’ on

the Internet can help you to find data on any subject that you need.

Shopping: Along with getting information on the Internet, you can also shop online. There are

many online stores and sites that can be used to look for products as well as buy them using

your credit card. You do not need to leave your house and can do all your shopping from the

convenience of your home.

Online Chat: There are many ‘chat rooms’ on the web that can be accessed to meet new

people, make new friends, as well as to stay in touch with old friends.

Downloading Software: This is one of the most happening and fun things to do via the

Internet. You can download innumerable, games, music, videos, movies, and a host of other

entertainment software from the Internet, most of which are free.


Disadvantages of the Internet
There are certain cons and dangers relating to the use of Internet that can be summarized as:

Personal Information: If you use the Internet, your personal information such as your name,

address, etc. can be accessed by other people. If you use a credit card to shop online, then

your credit card information can also be ‘stolen’ which could be akin to giving someone a

blank check.

*ography: This is a very serious issue concerning the Internet, especially when it comes to

young children. There are thousands of ographic sites on the Internet that can be easily

found and can be a detriment to letting children use the Internet.

Spamming:This refers to sending unsolicited e-mails in bulk, which serve no purpose and

unnecessarily clog up the entire system.

If you come across any illegal activity on the Internet, such as child ography or even

spammers, then you should report these people and their activities so that they can be

controlled and other people deterred from carrying them out. Child ography can be

reported to:

Your Internet service provider
Local police station
Cyber Angels (program to report cyber crime)

Such illegal activities are frustrating for all Internet users, and so instead of just ignoring it,

we should make an effort to try and stop these activities so that using the Internet can

become that much safer. That said, the advantages of the Internet far outweigh the

disadvantages, and millions of people each day benefit from using the Internet for work and

for pleasure