Recalling: Internet and Us

INTERNET!

Like many other inventions turning to be game-changer, the Internet is one of the most significant game-changer in human lives.

Everything has become online now, such as banking, shopping, entertainment, learning, etc., and helping individuals do what they want quickly. The pandemic has grown Internet usage exponentially and increased the use in various fields like education, making almost everything possible via virtual, development of Web 3.0, leading to more growth in the idea of Metaverse.

“A lot of things you want to do as part of daily life can now be done over the Internet.” — Marc Andreessen.

Glimpsing through the developments, I am putting forward a question: Can you guys live without the Internet?

The typical answers we hear as the duration changes:

• For 5 mins, definitely yes.
• For 30 mins, oh yes, I can do it.
• For an hour, I can.
• For a few hours, Yeah if there are no commitments, Yeah if I am restricting myself from devices, Yeah if I am implementing digital detox.
• For a day, it’s slightly hard, but I can unless there is no work if there is no network coverage in the area where I live if I am implementing digital detox.
• For a few days, it’s hard but again forcing me to do a digital detox.
• For a week, what ? a week without Internet? How is that possible? I have to talk with people staying far away, get my work done, etc. These are some of the reasons that we hear when it’s week.
• For a month? It becomes highly impossible.

From the typical answers, we can analyze that we have recently been highly dependent on the Internet. Almost every place has Internet access, if not 4G, then 3G/2G, and the developments in 5G increase access, speed, and improvising the other factors. Also, in this decade, even the kids know how to use mobiles and computers, and asking people to live without the Internet is tough. In fact, a temporary shutdown of any site leads to a commotion in the news.

If we look back before the current Internet iteration, many researchers gave progressive ideas and works that ultimately led to long-distance networking between two computers in the 1960s. Post this, ARPANET worked on various projects involving protocols for the network, where the networking was private and used for defense purposes only. The creation of TCP/IP Protocol and other events led to the transformation of ARPANET into public access in the 1980s, and still, TCP/IP is the primary protocol. Post the invention of TCP/IP, various modifications and innovations like the WWW (World Wide Web), First Graphical Internet Browser, etc., led to Web 1.0 and spread the usage.

Even before 20 years, not everyone had Internet access, and it was limited, and in fact, not many were aware of the term only. Later, Web 2.0 gave rise to much more applications with the help of the Internet. Factors such as increasing the speed and comprehensive coverage at lower prices, the mobile revolution leading to more access at homes, the hardware developments, and much more increased the Internet users leading to an evolution on the Internet that we see in 2022.

There are drawbacks as much as the benefits we enjoy over the Internet. With the ever-increasing number of Internet users, the safety and privacy of users came as a question. Our personal information in the digital world becomes a risk. The kids are more vulnerable to the digital world exposed to suspicious activities. Many fall into the traps of cybercrime, and more fake content spreads quickly.

“Privacy is not an option, and it shouldn’t be the price we accept for just getting on the Internet.” — Gary Kovacs.

Now that everything has become online, it is essential to keep things safe on the Internet to our best. Some tips include,

• Keeping strong passwords and Avoid keeping the same passwords
• Don’t give your details online to some unknown person.
• Be aware of the online activities and spread awareness to those who are unaware.
• For kids, keep the browsers kid-friendly and educate them about crimes.
• Double-check the digital payments and check the financial statements often.
• Don’t open suspicious links and prevent scams.
• Check on the content of what you read.

Another concern that we have is the reduction of not focusing on the things around us. Many of us stick our eyes to the screens, which affects mental and physical health. Ultimately we get stressed with the digital screens, deciding a digital detox for a long duration. Instead, you can do a digital detox daily for some time by doing things without screens that you like.

Thinking of cons, we would consider the Internet as awful innovation. Nope, the surge in Internet usage has opened up various possibilities worldwide that we haven’t imagined a few years back. The Internet is like a double-edged sword; knowing the boons and banes, it is in our hands to ensure that we stay safe on the Internet and use it wisely.

On this day, Every year, on the second Tuesday of February, we observe the Safer Internet Day aiming to create a better online world and spread awareness about being safe on the Internet.

The year 2022 theme is “Together for a better internet.”

Note to the readers:

The points mentioned in the article are known to many of us. We would be aware of the pros and cons. Yet, I have written this as an article to stay reminded of what we know, avoid any mishaps, and make it aware to those who are unaware.