Communities: The Internet

The world wide web, more commonly referred to as the internet, is a community, the largest in the world. It is a community in which, today, over 2 billion people have access to - this is a number that was nearly half that just a few years ago. Not only is it the largest, but it is the fastest growing community in the world. This community is held together more obviously by a worldwide network consisting of interconnected computers , but the most important aspect that holds it together is the 2 billion people who use it. Without these people, there would be no internet as it exists today. The internet is used for a plethora of reasons, nearly unlimited. From researching the latest information about a disease or illness someone in their family has contracted; staying in touch and communicating with my friends that are thousands of miles away -- on the other side of the planet; or something as simple as finding out what the weather is to be like that day to better determine what I am going to wear or if there will be traffic on my way to work, or school that day. These are just a few reasons I and so many others use the world wide web. The internet, while mostly used in a positive way, however, can also be used in a negative way that can create tensions or difficulties to some of it's users, including myself. For example, people with high knowledge of computer skills can hack into a computer network, such as an online banking system, and use the information they get to steal money from those accounts. If this was my bank, it would affect me personally if my information was stolen and potentially jeopardized. More recently, the internet has become a breeding ground for "cyber bullies." This is when someone, mostly kids or teenagers, use the computer to attack or humiliate their peers in school or within their community. Cyber-bullying is a problem that has received national -and- global attention in the past months and it's a problem that is hard to control.


I personally have used the internet since I was about ten years old, this was about the time the internet was becoming very mainstream and was beginning to gain users at a rapid pace. To be completely honest, I have a hard time remembering life without a computer. It's hard to fathom what life would be like today if I didn't have instant access to all of the information the internet holds. I think to myself, "Wow, did I really used have to look up this definition in a book, an actual dictionary?" It's amazing how much information I have available to me with just the click of a mouse or a few keys. I use the information in only positive ways and I feel like I fit in with the community. I have been able to stay in touch with so many friends and family members many miles away and I've been able to better plan my days with something as simple as being able to look up directions to my destination or as I stated above, the weather or traffic. I, like so many others, rely on the internet on a daily basis, in so many ways and I don't foresee myself living without it at anytime in the future.