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It’s easy to forget the positive impact of the Internet and the World Wide Web  Mention the Internet and the chances are the initial response will be negative or circumspect. It’s easy to see why. The invasive nature of junk e-mails, probable scams and screen addiction are just a few of the latent menaces. Add to that the pain and abuse that come with trolling, cyber-bullying and pornography, and we could be excused for assuming that the web is a dark influence indeed.
The negatives should not be ignored. They really do cause harm and every society has a duty to control and limit those and other pernicious online behaviours. However, we should be careful about letting the bad overwhelm the good. The huge majority of online activity is good and at worst it does no harm. On balance, the impact on the lives of millions, possibly billions, of people has been demonstrably positive. Here are some striking examples as to why we should be profoundly grateful for the Internet. |