Global+Impact+of+Internet

The Internet is having a significant impact around the world in many different fields. Comment on some of the most important effects it is currently having in any major field of endeavor, which could include politics, economics, communications, culture, education, etc. Feel free to include both positive and negative influences. Remember to place your name in parenthesis after your contribution (D. Tiene).

Traditionally, a socially aware citizen who is interested in the news would watch the evening news on television, perhaps listen to a few news broadcasts on radio, and pick up a newspaper the following day. When businesses and private people started using the Internet at home, many national and some regional newspapers and other news providers (such as television and radio news channels) realized there was a potential to reach users with the news at the reader's leisure. The Internet differs in the sense that the experience is far more interactive. When a user goes to a page, the Internet browser requests a particular page, and the Web server will return the page to the user's computer for viewing. Furthermore, there are no technical limitations to how long a news story can be. It is possible to read anything from a 20-word headline story detailing the main points of breaking news, to a 70,000-word doctorate thesis on-line. Combining this with the fact that the Internet is always available, it is easy to imagine how Internet news has had an impact on the production of global news. (Porterfield)

The overall speed of information. I was able to get real time updates on the big boxing match this weekend via the web without having to shell out 50 dollars. This immediate information makes the world even more connected. Negatively, watch out for information that is not true, or information that is not beneficial to society. Positively, the latest news and world happenings are updated instantly. This includes education as well. It is now easier to contact others for their opinion and a great source for multiple sources. We talked about this in the Distance Ed. class, but offereing the Internet to people in 3rd world countries is now becoming a reality. They are able to use technology to access various educational sources and open learning places. This ability to bring education that we have available to us, to 3rd world countries is huge. Now everyone is being presented with equal learning opportunities. Now places around the world are connected at an instant. This global communication can have a very positive impact on the world. The internet has allowed for greater diffusion of culture. I think that this is a positive aspect of the Internet, in that people are able to learn more about others and the way of life in particular regions of the world. If this information is presented and interpreted in an accurate way it brings greater understanding to the group of people in discussion. I have been able to eliminate common stereotypes and issues of prejudice in my classes because of the real-world examples found on the Internet. (DeJulio) **
 * (M. Dockery).

The Internet has had such an impact on today’s world, that I cannot find an adverb to describe it: Enormous; Gigantic; Gargantuan…


 * Economically**, the Internet has made it possible for money to flow from entity to entity in the matter of seconds, with the click of the mouse. Global companies that look like huge conglomerates may have started off, and may still be, small businesses with only a handful of employees. Financial applications of the Internet have shrunk the world, allowing even small investments to flow to almost any part of the globe. All of this has happened in only about 12 – 14 short years. It seems incredible.

Much of the above relates to corporations. Consumers play a big role in the economics of the Internt because many consumers now use the Internet to purchase products and to do banking. I do about half of my Christmas shopping online now. Black Friday had a counterpart called Black Monday, because many shoppers waited until returning to work on the Monday after Thanksgiving to do Christmas shopping on the Internet, using the broadband connection at their place of employment. These days, only a few years later, most people have broadband Internet connections at home. Now many Internet companies like Amazon.com, Buy.com, and others have their own Black Friday ad’s for online shopping. These same companies spend millions of dollars for fault tolerant servers and backup servers, so as to avoid being “Down” for even a few minutes. A few minutes of downtime can cost Amazon.com hundreds of thousands of dollars, especially during the Christmas holiday season. In **politics**, there is a large base of bloggers trying to effect the global political environment; from both sides of the political spectrum. Barak Obama effectively used the Internet to raise huge sums of money that helped him win the presidency of the United States. Many news agencies have websites now, even some from anti-American sources.

Caught in the crossfire of this Internet revolution of Instant Online News, are the traditional Newspapers. There are many who have gone out of business, and many more are needing to cut expenses and payrolls in order to survive.

The above comments relate to Economics and Politics/News, just two of many categories in which the Internet is changing today’s society.
 * (David Moore)**

In regard to the ways the Internet has had an impact on education around the world, distance learning comes to mind. There are students in other countries that are able to take classes at Kent State University due to the advancement in technology. This actually ties in to another discussion going on about Second Life. Second Life is just one example of a way for students to collaborate on projects or just meet "in person" for class. There are many other online tools that support video conferencing and education, and this list is expanding quickly. **(J. Henry)**  This topic reminds me of that YouTube video("Shift Happens") that proclaims (among many other statements)...

"There are over 2.7 billion searches performed on Google each month. To whom were these questions addressed before Google?

and

"It is estimated that a week's worth of New York Times contains more information than a person was likely to come across in a **lifetime** in the 18th Century."

I'll admit I have not done much research into the authors responsible for this film, therefore, the precise accuracy of these statements is debatable, perhaps. However, the point is clear: the amount of information that is now instantly available due to the Internet is staggering. Ever since I saw this film, I have thought a lot about the Google searches issue, especially at those moments, when I, too, turn to Google for an answer. I have concluded that in my personal experience, pre-Google, I probably would have asked someone else the question or I would have simply gone without the answer. Are Internet search capabilities making us smarter? Are the searches we perform for information we really need, information we just want to know, or for information that is changing our perspectives? The answer to this question would be an interesting research study. However, there is no doubt that the cultural impact of the Internet is so large it is difficult to measure. It has simply changed the way we think about information. And now, with sites such as Facebook, not only can I check out what my favorite celebrity is up to with the click of my mouse, I can also see what my second cousin was doing this afternoon. As Web 2.0 applications grow, the potential of what type of information can be found, and how personal this information can become, seems limitless. **(E. Slanina)**

This past year I was shocked when I had an email from in my inbox from the president asking me to comment on his website on all his issues in a blog format so his staff could collect all the feedback for their discussions....maybe he doesn't read it but I really enjoyed reading all the comments of other americans in one place. I have felt a lot more connected to this administration because of the web tools utilized (blogs, forums, email, rss, videos, podcasts etc) instead of people always telling me...contact your rep or senator!

In medicine the web has opened a lot of doors for us. We may broadcast a surgery from China or Dubai and have our physicians comment. Doctors used to call on experts in their country...now they can have experts speak from anywhere without leaving their office. Personally I think this is breaking down a lot of barriers or certain countries competing to have the best way of doing certain procedures. Now its more about sharing information and working together to find the best medical solution to solve problems. (J.Ellis)

The interesting thing about the internet on a global level is how and who should be policing it and does it even need to be policed. As Americans, we take for granted how freely we are able to speak about any topic, person or thing. We say its our “constitutional right”, which I fully agree. But the internet doesn’t stop or start in the USA. It is a world-wide service and its boundaries of legality are often being crossed and monitored country by country. What I say in country X may be fine if it stays in country X. But nothing on the internet just stays where it belongs. If country Y hears what country X says and it goes against the beliefs of that country, then there could be real big problems. There are no global rules for the ethical and moral use of the internet, because not all peoples’ ethics and morals are the same on a global scale. There are many examples that allude to this statement. Terrorist Cells use the internet to communicate, locate and buy equipment. We can’t gamble in certain states in the USA, so we avoid it by creating poker websites that are stationed in Canada. However, we sure can access them here. There are more examples, but the question remains, can we ever police the internet because of its huge audience. **Kulick**

I think it would be naive and unfair to suggest that Internet has not been influential in many ways. Especially, education has seen Internet's impact on the dynamics of the field. It is undeniable that Internet has introduced many options and ways of researching, analyzing, synthesizing, etc. Unfortunately, I also think that as far as cultures are concerned, it is aiding the blurring of the lines that define and describe different cultures. I believe in the uniqueness of cultures and it makes me upset to see one global culture emerging. I do not mind a global culture of technology, but when it affects values, morals, and traditions, I find it hard to relate. I am not saying that Internet has changed our values, but I think it is safe to say that it has introduced some more global values that are new and not always positive. **(Deniz Kursun**)

Tom Regan, columnist for //The Christian Science Monitor//, says if not for the Internet, Hillary Clinton would probably be the President of the United States and Barack Obama never would have made it past Super Tuesday. He goes on to say that Obama raked in most of his $265 million from the Internet. Regan points out that when Obama raised $32 million in January 2008, he only raised 12% of the money offline. That means $28 million came from mostly small on-line donations. **(Porterfield).**

I think one of the most positive things about the internet is that it has enabled educators to make learning fun! There are so many opportunities for engaging, interactive lessons, collaboration, individual expression, etc. when the internet is incorporated into the classroom. As much as many of us love a good novel, kids these days love technology. Rather than being lectured at and forced to do repetetive exercises from a textbook, students are able to create and publish projects in a variety of new ways. And, the opportunities keep changing and expanding every day, so students will have a hard time getting bored. **(Jamie Klintworth)**