The Consequences of the Internet 1

The Consequences of the Internet 2

The Consequences of the Internet

There are many different definitions of the Internet. Summarizing the various aspects

of this technical phenomenon, the Internet is first and foremost a collection of electronic

networks created and used by the global community of different people for the purpose of

exchanging social information. Today, even the creators of the electronic web and active

Internet users often poorly represent its boundaries, content, and degree of order. In recent

years, the introduction of Internet technologies and services is proceeding fast. Consequently,

the Internet and its development affect the lives of people around the world. Some believe

that the Internet will be a blessing for the 21st century, while others argue that it only

threatens the well-being of humanity. Thus, despite the fact that the Internet has been

beneficial for many, its negative consequences outweigh its benefits because it threatens the

security of users, deliver a cultural intrusion, and allows the publication of absolutely any

information that cannot be trusted.

The Internet is fraught with new problems and risks associated with information

security and data protection. The increase in information arranges, the number of transactions

and the global connection of mobile devices lead to the appearance of completely new

sources of threats. The overflow of technological devices has long been turned into the target

of hacker attacks. They obtain any device they are interested in, learn how it is protected, and

then easily invent a way of hacking (Filkins et al., 2016). If they hack it, then the protection

system cannot be updated quickly enough. As a result, there are serious problems of the

Internet security level, which means that people's houses, cars, and business become

vulnerable to the threats of a new technological era (Filkins et al., 2016). Today’s generation

is witnessing new revolution, which consists in the fast spread of the Internet (Filkins et al.,

2016). Apparently, this has a positive effect on all areas of human life but people should
 The Consequences of the Internet 3

understand that at the same time, the number of threats aimed at devices connected to the

network will constantly grow. Therefore, it is vital to pay attention to the new issues of

Internet security. The only correct approach that will eliminate the possibility of taking

advantage of vulnerabilities for embedded devices, is the use of secure operating systems.

In addition, it should be noted that the human factor remains the most important threat

to Internet security. A fairly large amount of information sent through the world's web

attracts the attention of hackers (Fotinger and Ziegler, n.d.). Unauthorized access to the

management system of the enterprise can have particularly dangerous consequences.

Therefore, the introduction of operating systems with integrated security tools allows creating

an environment where "holes" are detected and an attacker cannot use them (Fotinger and

Ziegler, n.d.). Moreover, cybersphere is becoming a field of political and economic conflicts.

The hostility in the cybersphere transfer from demonstrating technological superiority to

directed action (Fotinger and Ziegler, n.d.). More often, global corporations, business

structures, individual bank accounts become the target of hackers (Fotinger and Ziegler, n.d.).

Consequently, despite the fact that the Internet changes and improves ordinary life, it is

important to predict where threats are expected and how serious the challenges are. In order

to stay safe, companies and regular users need to think about possible security strategies on

the Internet.

Besides, the Internet has a significant cultural invasion while advocating Western

lifestyles. Virtual propaganda on the Internet is a manipulative activity on a global scale in

the popularization and spreading of ideas in the mass consciousness (Fuchs, 2014). It is

always aimed at shaping public opinion and performs the functions of virtual communication

and modeling of social existence competing with reality. Virtual propaganda of Western

cultural life on the Internet becomes a powerful manipulative tool of influence in promoting

human interests and preferences (Fuchs, 2014). Such properties of the web as interactivity
 The Consequences of the Internet 4

and intentness contribute to reducing the time between the message and the expected result,

and different methods of influencing the network community help to find the right web group

and effectively interact with it (Fuchs, 2014). Besides, virtual propaganda is the most striking

manipulative phenomenon of artificial virtual reality, which reflects the essence of the

processes that take place in the changing of modern society and is closely connected with

virtual mythmaking. Internet propaganda of Western lifestyle as a cultural invasion carries

out a global popularization and dissemination of ideas in the mass consciousness (Fuchs,

2014). Many researchers believe that it is easier to carry out propaganda activities with

people whose behavior in the virtual space of the Internet is typical and stereotyped (Fuchs,

2014). Hence, virtual propaganda is projected and constructed in the form of social

stereotypes - standards of behavior, virtual myths, and political illusions. Like virtual myths,

the Internet community is always aimed at shaping public opinion and actively performs the

functions of virtual communication and modeling of social society. Thus, modern

civilization, in its essence, has become a spectator where artificial virtual reality directly

depends on political power. At the same time, the main designers of propaganda in the

information age are political leaders and the media, logically defining these realities and

shaping them in the human troubled world.

Moreover, anyone can put any information and say it is based on a study, thereby,

misleading users, which indicates that there is a huge amount of information on the Internet

that cannot be trusted. Especially false information is affected by adolescents, who believe

almost everything published on the Internet (Ihlen, Bartlett and May, 2011). As children enter

a rich information space, they should be taught to analyze information and notice

manipulative messages. Because of their age, they do not know how to do this and are ready

to accept fake news for reliable. This is confirmed by a study by Stanford University on the

level of confidence of adolescents to content on the Internet space (Ingram, 2016). The
 The Consequences of the Internet 5

results are shocking: usually, young people do not pay attention to the source of information,

do not distinguish between advertising and paid posts, as well as manipulation of information

(Ingram, 2016). The vast majority of high school students easily identify traditional

advertising, for example, banner ads but they do not recognize the disguised advertising

created in the form of a story or reportage from the event (Ingram, 2016). Also, senior

students showed excessive credulity. It turned out that most of the information presented in

the form of news was perceived uncritically and trusted by them (Ingram, 2016). Photos of

mutated flowers that allegedly grew after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima were fake and

taken from a photo shoot. However, many participants in the study did not have doubts about

the veracity of the information (Ingram, 2016). They did not even inquire about its source.

Less than 20% of respondents thought about confirming the photo, and almost 40% said that

this news is absolutely reliable because it includes a photographic proof of the radiation level

near Fukushima (Ingram, 2016). In addition, it was revealed that college students do not

notice the manipulation of tweets designed in the style of authoritative news with the addition

of statistics (Ingram, 2016). Students should inquire from where these statistics come from,

what studies were conducted and why a particular organization might be interested in

covering exactly this information. This was done by less than a third of the respondents,

while the rest began to discuss the news itself and did not verify its truthfulness (Ingram,

2016). Furthermore, the majority of students evaluated the information without clicking on

the message and not even trying to follow the link to the primary source (Ingram, 2016).

Thus, fake information on the Internet has a very negative effect on the consciousness of the

younger generation, which once again proves that the Internet can become a threat and not a

blessing of the 21st century.

Nevertheless, there are also advantages of using the Internet. The Internet is a great

place for entertainment and communication with people around the world (Samovar et al.,
 The Consequences of the Internet 6

2016). The Internet is the best mean of communication because every day, new innovations

make it even more comfortable. Today, people can start real-time communication with a

person who is in another country and even continent (Samovar et al., 2016). For more

detailed private and collaborative communication, they can use various video tools and chat.

Due to such services, geographically disjointed nations are able to share their opinions on

global problems that have a big impact on each individual (Samovar et al., 2016). The

Internet has provided people a chance to investigate different cultures, traditions and

ideologies throughout the world.

In addition, one of the main reasons why people actively use Internet is the

entertainment tools, which are available online. Indeed, the Internet is so popular primarily

because of its entertainment industry, which provides an access to different websites such as

Gaming, Youtube, 360 videos and VR, Music, etc. Also, due to the Internet people can find

the newest information about famous personalities and watch different interesting websites

(Stuczynski, 2014). Also, there are countless games that people can download (Stuczynski,

2014). In fact, online games have gained phenomenal success, and are enjoying an ever-

growing demand all over the world.

Moreover, the Internet is a treasure trove of information as it contains knowledge of

any topic. Search engines make information available and it has become a common practice

to seek help from the Internet in solving different problems and finding answers (Naughton,

2010). On the Internet, people can also find news about the latest advances in medicine,

technology and other fields of science (Naughton, 2010). Therefore, the advantages of the

Internet in the sphere of communication, entertainment, and self-development are significant

enough that makes Internet users believe that it is a blessing of the 21st century.

Another significant advantage of the Internet is the development of electronic

commerce that is the possibility of Internet shopping. Due to the numerous services, people
 The Consequences of the Internet 7

can perform financial transactions on the Internet (Khurana, 2017). They can book airline

tickets, transfer funds, and order different products without leaving a home or office. Some

websites offer fast reservation systems and route planning according to the desires of their

customers (Khurana, 2017). Also, different types of business use E-commerce daily, which

includes money transfer via the Internet. Virtual transactions have become the standard for

almost all types of businesses (Khurana, 2017). Online commerce, with its huge scope of the

various goods and services, enables the customer to deliver the order on the threshold of

one’s house (Khurana, 2017). Such websites as “eBay”, “Amazon” and others allow

customers to offer, purchase, sell, and conduct online auctions. Therefore, due to the Internet,

a person can order any service or product without leaving home and remain satisfied with its

quality.

In conclusion, despite the considerable advantages, the Internet becomes a risk to

humanity because it threatens information security, propagates Western values, and is a

powerful distributor of fake news. Unfortunately, the information space is so unprotected that

absolutely every user can become a victim of hacker attacks. This type of crime is extremely

common in modern world and requires taking certain measures. Thus, before a user publishes

any information on the Internet he/she needs to be sure of the reliability of the site and

provide information security. In addition, one should not yield to propaganda and believe that

it is the Western way of life is the best one. Every nation has its own culture and it is

necessary to consciously respect its traditions. Therefore, noticing the slightest suspicion of

propaganda, it is necessary to avoid such sites. As for fake news, it is necessary to check the

information several times to make sure it is correct. Very often, users refer to non-existent

facts and mislead others. As a result, in order to avoid the influence of fake news, one needs

to search for information only in primary sources and on reliable sites. All these precautions
 The Consequences of the Internet 8

will help to avoid threats that are widespread in the network and enjoy the benefits that the

Internet can provide.

References

Filkins, B., Kim, J., Roberts, B., Armstrong, W., Miller, M., Hultner, M., Castillo, A.,

Ducom, J., Topol, E. and Steinhubl, S. (2016). Privacy and security in the era of

digital health: What should translational researchers know and do about

it?. American Journal of Translational Research, [online] 8(3). Available at:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4859641/.

Fötinger, C. and Ziegler, W. (n.d.). Understanding a hacker’s mind – A psychological insight

into the hijacking of identities. RCA Security. [online] Available at:

https://www.donau-
 The Consequences of the Internet 9

uni.ac.at/de/department/gpa/informatik/DanubeUniversityHackersStudy.pdf

[Accessed 10 Nov. 2017].

Fuchs, C. (2014). Social media and the public sphere. Journal for a Global Sustainable

Information Society, [online] 12(1). Available at: http://www.triple-

c.at/index.php/tripleC/article/view/552/668.

Ihlen, Y., Bartlett, J. and May, S. (2011). The handbook of communication and corporate

social responsibility. John Wiley & Sons.

Ingram, M. (2016). It's Not Just Adults Who Can't Tell the Difference Between Fake News

and Real News. [online] Fortune. Available at:

http://fortune.com/2016/11/23/stanford-fake-news/ [Accessed 10 Nov. 2017].

Khurana, A. (2017). Why E-commerce is Taking the Retail World by Storm. [online] The

Balance. Available at: https://www.thebalance.com/advantages-of-ecommerce-

1141610 [Accessed 10 Nov. 2017].

Naughton, J. (2010). The internet: Is it changing the way we think? [online] the Guardian.

Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2010/aug/15/internet-brain-

neuroscience-debate [Accessed 10 Nov. 2017].

Samovar, L., Porter, R., McDaniel, E. and Roy, C. (2016). Communication between cultures.

Boston, Mass.: Wadsworth/Cengage Learning.

Stuczynski, T. (2014). The impact of innovation: Entertainment.

The Consequences of the Internet 10