The year is 2013. Humanity has accomplished so much in the last hundred years than it did in the last hundred thousand. We have built space crafts, set foot on the moon, harnessed the Earth’s natural elements to serve as an energy source, and so much more. But today we’ll look at mankind’s daily routine. A day in the life of an Average Joe. He may not be doing the same thing he did yesterday. But one thing is for certain, he has access to a vast amount of information that can help him keep moving forward or lead to his manner of downfall. This is the Internet.
For the past 10 or 15 years, the manner of how we acquire and share information has blossomed into what it is today. It has become interactive, systematic, and stress-free. The Internet is all of these. But we must view this as how diamonds are made. The Internet ‘culture’ was once always under fire and pressure against well-established institutions that threatened their very foundation. An example of this would be the once-controversial Napster, where people would interact online and pioneered music file sharing. This very predicament still exists today and is labelled as “online piracy”, or simply viewed as a form of theft. It’s not just record industries’ losing profits but extends to the likes of entertainment productions, software developers, and many more.
But overtime, many major companies and institutions that were once negatively affected have learned to adapt and utilize the vast capabilities of the Internet. Advertising to promote a certain product or service has been made easier, reducing the time and effort spent, is an example. Even government offices today are using the power of technology and information sharing to reduce paperwork, minimize errors, and make timely and accurate decisions. Thus making room to assist more people and provide better service.
Today, there is no existing way that people can absolutely police the uses and capabilities of file-sharing technology and the Internet. There are laws against online piracy, pornography, and even invasion of privacy. But it is within an individual to practice and exercise the proper and lawful use or access of the Internet.
This is only looking at the bigger picture. The power of information may be at the touch of a fingertip, but we must pay attention to everything that we do, even if it’s just a few keystrokes.
Written by: Romariche Verga