The Impact of the Internet on Different Aspects of America, Research Paper Example

The internet is a huge phenomenon which has been around since the 1960s is still growing today. With the advancements of technology, and the fast-paced acceleration of development, it comes as no surprise that internet is as big as it is this day and age (Gattiker, 2002). The World Wide Web moves at such a fast pace, that some or maybe the majority, of individuals cannot keep up or comprehend it. However, those who actively participate in on-line activities, and make the internet a part of their daily routine can definitely say that the internet has made social connections much easier to make. However, many have contested to the validity of these “connections” because they are not actually face-to-face interactions (Gattiker, 2002). Even so, the World Wide Web has bridged the physical gap which used to separate people from around the globe. Now, with today’s technology, you can interact and communicate with anyone who has access to the internet.

The internet has offered new opportunities in terms of communication all over the globe. Cyberspace or virtual environments allow people to interact with each other, which is outside the physical world. The internet allows its users to create a world of their own, and this has created paradigm shifts all over the globe, and has changed cultures throughout its brief lifespan.

Gattiker (2002) states that “Our values, beliefs, interests, and objectives guide which customs, norms, and rituals we adhere to and perceive as morally acceptable. Accordingly, culture provides the foundation for our understanding of justice and, ultimately, of the law as well as how we interpret and administer our laws (e.g., regulatory concerns). In turn, culture also influences our cyberspace choices, practices, the design of technical systems (e.g., video game entertainment), and the possible development of institutional characteristics for the Internet.” This states that it is up to us on how we would like the internet to run, that we as users have the power to change and to manipulate things to our preferences when it comes to the World Wide Web. The internet gives us such diverse freedom, that we can change it in accordance to our culture. However, in turn, the internet is also changing our culture with its mere existence. This can be seen in America today. Instead of playing outside, children would rather play video games online with their friends who are in a different room, or even in a different house. There is no need for face-to-face interaction because the internet bridges that gap and lets people communicate without being in the same room.

The internet has also posed reason for new laws to be created. Since the World Wide Web is an environment, it needs its own set of rules and standards like any other state or country. The expansion of the internet has immensely revolutionized the mainstream means of communication today. Throughout this global networking, we can find all sorts of things, and this includes manifestations of what can be considered evil (Berg, 2005).

“For those charged with enforcing state law, whether civil or criminal, this new world of cyberspace has sometimes been compared to the “wild, wild west” without a sheriff” (Berg, 2005). This means that the internet is very hard to control, and because of its wide reach, there is no one form of government or politics which rule over it. The vast reach of the internet makes law enforcing in cyberspace uncertain. The internet, in all its glory, can have negative aspects. Because of its huge and easy-to-reach pool of people, criminals can easily target potential victims. This is a tricky subject since state law enforcement authorities have no clear laws claiming cyber crime is within their jurisdiction. And, because of the global connection the internet offers, cyber crimes could be committed countries away from the victim’s residence (Berg, 2005).

Every great economic era comes to an end; this is the on-going economic curse.  “Agricultural economies were tied to the rhythms of the harvests. Villages would prosper when crops were good, and suffer when drought or pests withered the fields. A long enough drought could devastate a region or even a civilization” (Mandel, 2003). Because the internet now is such a boom in the economic industry – offering new cyber jobs which did not exist before, and giving work-at-home-moms a new way to earn income – many anticipate its economic downslide. The “new economy” of the internet was born in the United States. It was during 1995 when the Netscape internet browser company went public (Mandel, 2003). It started off with a $28 share in stocks, and at the end of the day, kept soaring, making millions for its investors. It was from then on that the United States had transformed itself into a different economy where growth and productivity was at a high, and inflation and unemployment was at a low (Mandel, 2003).

The internet is still growing and does not cease to astound people in the new ways its developing every second. The infinite space the World Wide Web offers makes business and economics on the internet endless (Loane,  McNaughton & Bell, 2004). Because cyber space is so vast, people from all over the world can interact and connect their businesses, making their income and revenue grow more than it can with physical interaction.

The internet has greatly affected many parts of America, and many parts of the world. However, because of its diversity, capacity to grow and speed of change, there still are a lot of things uncertain about the World Wide Web (Gattiker, 2002). We do accept that internet is a culture on its own, and is even a part of our own culture. It changed our daily routine and how we went about doing things. Not only has the internet opened doors for good business, it has also opened doors for new types of crimes (Berg, 2005). With the acceleration of development in the internet, we do not know what it will be capable of offering us tomorrow.

References

Mandel, M.J. (2003). The Coming Internet Depression: Why the High-Tech Boom Will Go Bust, Why the Crash Will Be Worse That You Think, and How to Prosper Afterwards. New York: Basic Books

Berg, T. (2005). Www.wildwest.gov: the Impact of the Internet on State Power to Enforce the Law. Brigham Young University Law Review, 200(4).

Loane, S.,  McNaughton, R.B., & Bell, J. (2004). The Internationalization of Internet-enabled Entrepreneurial Firms: Evidence from Europe and North America. Canadian Journal of   Administrative Sciences, 21(1).

Gattiker, U.E. (2002). The Internet as a Diverse Community: Cultural, Organizational, and Political Issues. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.