The Social Impact of the Internet on Our Society

The Web

Introduction

The history of internet dates way back in the earlier centuries where by it was not understood by lots of people and to access it was a problem (Abbate, 2000). There were no numerous computers and not all individuals were able to pay for a computer. It was invented by various people for instance the Arpanet which was the very first one to develop the network. Web is as a result of networking which has actually made it possible for individuals to communicate and share details.

The internet has established to a more reliable source of communication (Abbate, 2000).

The memory of a computer system keeps on altering due to new technologies that are developed to increase the speed of accessing web. Microsoft which is a web service provider, where Costs Gates is the Co- creator has come up with web software's for instance the Os which boosts internet accessibility. Internet is the most dazzling idea or creation that was established.

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It has aid in fixing various concerns and making the international as community (Abbate, 2000). Expense Gates has tried for decades to keep internet innovation competitive.

The world has actually altered a lot and there have actually been a lot of advancements which have actually taken place and influenced the method the world runs (Nicholas Carr, Jun 24th 2010). Among the major modifications and developments which have occurred is the technological developments which have also resulted in fantastic changes in info sharing and storage in different sectors of the economy. The health sector has actually been among the majorly impact sectors where details technology usage has actually entered into the day-to-day operations.

There have been issues regarding electronic health record keeping mainly handling personal privacy concerns. This raises the concern, what are the impacts of electronic health records (EHR) on the lives of the clients and how does this contribute towards their health? This essay will also look at how the data security can be done so regarding assure clients of their privacy.

Healthcare-Electronic Health Record

       Electronic heath record simply refers to the recording and storing of all health information about patients at a health center using electronic means such as computers. The EHR has been found to provide real-time information and data about a patient instantly and is always thought to be secure since the information and data is only available to users who have been authorized to access the system (Kluge, 2004). The EHR are known to contain all the treatment and medical histories of the patients. Furthermore, it has been noted that the EHR can also:

       Contain all the medical history, medications, diagnoses, treatment plans, allergies, immunization dates, laboratory tests and the results obtained as well as the medications of a patient.

       The EHR can also help in the streamlining and automation of the workflow of the service provider

       Also provides access to important evidence which can be relied upon by health practitioners when assessing and making health care decisions for any given patient.

       The main and key feature of the EHR system is that it allows for easy access and sharing of information and data about a patient by more than one health care provider and across more than a single organization that provides health care (Kluge, 2004). The digital format of the information and the data makes it easy for the sharing of the data and the information within a short period of time. The EHRs contain all the information about a patient from all the various clinicians involved with the patient such as workplace clinics, specialists, laboratories, pharmacies and other emergency facilities among many more(Friedman, Parrish, & Ross, 2013).

Impacts of Internet on Children

       The human body works in response to hormones for every situation therefore in presence of stress the children cannot sleep well. Furthermore, glow stimulation is also as a result of prolonged use of electronics at night for example watching TV or playing electronics game. The light emitted from the electronics causes one to loss sleep and also it affects the children active life. Sleep is very important since it is the time for the body to rest after a hard or a difficult day (El- Sheikh, 2011). Parents should limit the use of electronics especially at night hence helping the children sleep better and this will improve their school life and also refresh their minds.

       Family is a blessing and one feels the sense of belonging. Technology has made it easy to stay in touch with each member despite the distance and age. It does not only keep family in touch it also brings friends close. However, it has its disadvantages that affects the children and makes them not to concentrate on their education. The social media for example Facebook, twitter among others can affect children greatly in their social life (Dutwin, 2010). What they post and comment also is very important and children should be taught on what to say or not say.

       Even though, it depends on the age it can affect them positively or negatively. To top it all, the smartphones technology has made it easy to access the internet and therefore children can download games. The smartphones poses great danger to children since they carry them all over and thus making it hard to control their use (Dutwin, 2010). As much as parents want children to be up to date in technology, it would be ideal to choose the kind of electronics to give or to expose to children. The access of internet has been made easy with the emerging technology. Parents should emphasizes on the importance of family time and also formulate some rules to be followed by all members of the family. This will enhance the bond between them and also strengthen the relationship.

Communication and Relationships

       The internet has also had some major effect on how people communicate and relate daily. The previous methods of communications such as the postal office, telegrams among many others have been passed by time and instead, the social media have become the primary channel of communication(Hargrove, 2013). It has become easier to reach each other within short time hence enhancing development within various communities. However, there have also been some negative effects in terms of communication and how people relate. The ethics involved in communication have been eroded and the strong bonds that people had in communication has become virtual in that there are no relationship s that are physical, just a few. The internet has brought about the social media which have greatly changed how people interact.

       It is now possible to interact with anyone across the world without having to know the person at a personal level. People meet over the internet and form relationships. However, these relationships are not real and hence sometimes do not last long hence the way people relate even within communities and families have changed a lot(Hargrove, 2013). The personal touch between people has been lost with as a result of the reliance of people on the internet to connect with each other.

Business Development and Job Creation

       The other effect that the internet has had on our daily lives has been seen in terms of business. Businesses across the world have been forced to adopt the use of the internet within their businesses. It has been noted that the use of the internet has opened up new opportunities for business people whereby there have been development of online stores whereby customers do not need to visit the premises physically (Ciccarelli, & Faulkner, 2006). This has helped raise the level of sales within various companies and has helped in the expansion of companies hence creating jobs. The development of the internet has helped businesses to explore new ventures and methods of product and service promotion.

       Over the past before the development of the internet, people relied on the radio, television and the newspapers for information on products (Hargrove, 2013). However, this has changed a lot with the development of the internet. It has become easier for business owners to notify their customers of their products and services through the internet using online marketing, which have helped increase the customer base for the businesses (See Appendix 1). Furthermore, it has helped reduce the cost involved in advertising or marketing of products hence a great benefit to the businesses. In addition to that, the internet has helped the consumers to become more educated and aware of the products and servicesthat they require (Andriole, 2010). This has helped in the improvement of quality as well as the bargaining power of the consumers since they have been able to notify the business owners of what they want in the products.

       The other impact of the internet has been in terms of employment and job creation across the world. The internet has become one of the greatest sources of jobs across the world and many people rely on the internet for a living. There have been various jobs which have been created as a result of the developments that have been experienced in the use of the internet. Artists, web designers, software developers and many other professions have been developed and continue to be supported by the internet. Without the internet there are numerous jobs that would be lost hence return the world to higher rates of unemployment (Andriole, 2010). The future for the internet use ad jobs continues to look brighter since there are numerous developments which are taking place across the world.

Innovativeness and Creativity

       The other impact which has been realized as a result of the development of the internet has been innovativeness and creativity among people. In the past, there were limited opportunities for people to think creatively and become innovative (Andriole, 2010). However, this has changed and will continue to change in the future in terms of innovation and creativity. The internet is amassed with information that can be relied upon to develop ideas which then can then generate into innovative ideas (Hargrove, 2013). The use of the internet has opened up the world and people have been able to share information across the world hence enabling many people to become creative and innovative. Various inventions have been developed as a result of the internet such as carrying out transactions over the internet (Nicholas Carr, Jun 24th 2010). Therefore, based on the developments and innovations which have been seen across the world as a result of the use of the internet, the future for innovation and creativity looks brighter and there is a lot of things which will be experienced as a result of the use of the internet.

Moral Degradation

       However, despite having positive impact on the society and how people think, there have been negative impacts of the internet which have been observed. One of the major negative impacts of the internet on the society has been moral degradation (Hinsch, & Sheldon, 2013). It has been noted that as a result of the use of the internet, people, especially the youths, have become careless and less concerned with moral principles that are valued in the society (See Appendix 2 on usage).

       People have forgone the cultural practices that helped in dictating the moral behaviors acceptable in the society and instead embraced most of the things which they find on the internet (Dahlén, 2002). The youths are the ones that have been greatly affected since they use the internet a lot, and most often for things which are not acceptable in the society. People have been seen to copy what they find on the internet as part of modernism, something which has ruined the moral values which the society holds (Machen, 2013). The internet is accessible to everyone and this means that some of the things, such as pornography, which is not acceptable in the society, can be accessed by the majority. This has greatly affected the behavior that people display in the society.

       Furthermore, there has been rise in some of the crimes which were never experienced in the past such as cybercrimes. The increase in crimes committed over the internet has been on the rises something which have greatly affected the use of intent. However, there have been efforts by various stakeholders across the board in trying to make the use of the internet safe for everyone (Carmella, Spring 1999). Governments through their legislations have tried to formulate policies which govern the use of the internet so that children and even adults are protected from harmful content on the internet. Regulation of the internet use has been major challenge in various countries since it had not been anticipated that the internet would grow to the current standard (Hinsch, & Sheldon, 2013). There were no full preparation regarding how the internet could be used hence most countries continue to grapple with how they can regulate the use of the internet to ensure that everyone that uses the internet is safe.

       In conclusion, the internet has been one of the greatest technological developments which have been experienced in the world. Despite the many challenges which are being faced and with government grappling with ways of regulating internet use, it can be seen that the internet has generated a lot of benefits in the world and has changed the way people think (Hinsch, & Sheldon, 2013). The future looks bright in terms of internet use as there are numerous technological developments which are being developed, and which require and will continue to require the use of the internet. The internet has been and will continue to be one of the technological developments which greatly impacted on the thinking of humanity across the globe.

References

Andriole, S. J. (2010). Business Impact of Web 2.0 Technologies.Communications Of The ACM, 53(12), 67-79. doi:10.1145/1859204.1859225

Carmella Kedem (Spring 1999) The Social Impact of the Internet on Our Society Retrieved from http://www.math.umd.edu/~bnk/CAR/project.htm on 15th November 2014

Ciccarelli, P., & Faulkner, C. (2006).Networking Foundations: Technology Fundamentals for ITSuccess. Hoboken: John Wiley & Sons.

Dahlén, M. (2002). Thinking and feeling on the World Wide Web: the impact of product type and time on World Wide Web advertising effectiveness. Journal Of Marketing Communications, 8(2), 115-125. doi:10.1080/13527260210142347

Dutwin, D. (2010). Unplug Your Kids: A Parent's Guide to Raising Happy, Active and Well Adjusted Children in the Digital Age. Cincinnati: F+W Media.

El-Sheikh, M. (2011).Sleep and development: Familial and socio-cultural considerations. New York: Oxford University Press.

Friedman, D. J., Parrish, R., & Ross, D. A. (2013). Electronic Health Records and US Public Health: Current Realities and Future Promise. American Journal Of Public Health, 103(9), 1560-1567. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2013.301220

Hargrove, R. (2013). Assessing the long-term impact of a metacognitive approach to creative skill development.International Journal Of Technology & Design Education, 23(3), 489-517. doi:10.1007/s10798-011-9200-6

Hinsch, C., & Sheldon, K. M. (2013). The impact of frequent social Internet consumption: Increased procrastination and lower life satisfaction. Journal Of Consumer Behaviour, 12(6), 496-505. doi:10.1002/cb.1453

Kluge, E.W. (2004). Informed consent and the security of the electronic health record (EHR): Some policy considerations. International Journal of Medical Informatics, 73, 229-234.

Machen, B. (2013). THINKING DEEPLY IN A TWITTER WORLD.Vital Speeches Of The Day, 79(11), 342-344.

Nicholas Carr. Norton (Jun 24th 2010)The Shallows: What the Internet is Doing to Our Brains Retrieved from http://www.economist.com/node/16423330 on 15th November 2014

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