The internet has transformed the way in which we live and work by providing us with easy access to an almost infinite supply of information. Complex topics are often found in summary form, saving us hours of research and reviews allow us to benefit from the experiences of others. For example, Yelp allows guests to rate and describe their experience with local businesses, so others can make an informed decision. The same is true for sites like Amazon and Newegg, which allow users to rate products they have purchases so that fellow shoppers can feel comfortable with a purchase decision. Further, sites like Wikipedia allow guests to benefit from the collective knowledge of others.
While these technologies have the ability to simplify our lives, they can also lead to laziness. When the answer to almost any question is readily available, not much effort is required to obtain it. Instead of attempting to works things out for ourselves, we turn to the web by default. In the past, we would learn through experience and develop a working knowledge of a topic. Now, the tendency is merely to search out a solution and stop once it has been found, acquiring only a surface level understanding of the topic at hand. For example, novice programmers will often copy code snips into their programs to get the functionality they desire, without fully understanding how it is implemented. If they instead chose to read through documentation and fully implemented the desired functionality from scratch, they would surely become more proficient programmers in the long term.
While society is becoming more dependent on the internet, there is no need to panic. We do not need to become experts on every problem we encounter and often simply finding a credible answer is enough. In the end is up to the individual to determine whether exploring a topic further will add value to their life and be disciplined enough to follow through on that decision.
Popularity: 2% [?]
“We do not need to become experts on every problem we encounter and often simply finding a credible answer is enough.”
I like your reconciliation of the problem. The internet allows us to quickly solve some of the problems we have, and then spend more time focusing on the things that interest us the most. I may go on the internet to find a way to fix my Xbox (red rings of death), but I don’t really want to become a master Xbox technician. I just want to solve my problem as easily as possible, and move along. That is the convenience that the internet affords us.