Who Needs a Website?
With the advancement of technology in the modern world, more and more people are taking shelter within the apps on their phones, which is the same for websites. The youth, as well as adults, have become too engrossed with the media and the Internet — sometimes blinded by its persuasive temptation.
Compared to the 3.7 billion Internet users of 2017, the amount of users as of June 2018 has risen to a significant 3.95 billion¹. This goes to show that people visit the Internet everyday, whether briefly or for a significant amount of time.
Websites are viewed in a constant stream of mouse clicks, mouse-pad slides and screen swipes, and with every view, the count increases. Even a simple search on Google adds to the 3.5 billion searches that are made everyday². These mouse clicks probably visit online shop retailers due to a surge in its popularity — people nowadays use online shopping to purchase clothing, as well as their groceries. But is this a matter of disability or laziness?
According to Hosting Facts, “an estimated 1.79 billion people are expected to purchase something online in 2018.”³ With this increase from 2017’s 1.66 billion online purchases, retail sales are to be influenced by the Internet with an estimation of $2.84 trillion in 2018⁴. With the amount of people using the Internet in this day and age, the slight shock from this information instantly dissipated.
Most writers - whether creative or non-creative - have their very own website, which for the majority, they use as a blog to showcase their writing. Others may use the opportunity to display their talents — photography, art, etc. Some of these writers’ blogs act as their diary where they write about their day and their hobbies; others keep it strictly professional, especially authors. But one thing rings true: blogging has righteously kept its place in the popularity spectrum as blog posts have risen to a hefty 3 million per day⁵.
Although one can say that social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, are used more than personal websites, there are still advantages in using or opening a website. Having a website means that it’s available 24/7, as opposed to the maintenance works that sometimes occurs with social media websites — people interested in you are able to find you any time and are able to contact you through the contact details accessible on your website.
For example, I’ve included a ‘Contact Me’ section on my website for those with enquiries to easily contact me — people don’t have to hassle themselves by opening the Internet and signing into their email account to compose a message.
A website can also include everything you want without restricting you to posting certain information. However, be mindful of the fact that posting inappropriate information may give people viewing your website a bad impression, and customers may recoil from working with you business-wise.
Since a website can include anything and everything you want, links to your social media can be present within your website. This will make it easier for those interested in your social life to get to know who you are as a person without having to search for your username.
Creating a website is free, and most companies offer you a chance to have your own domain name through a one-time purchase or a payment plan. Wix, for example, gives their customers a range of payment plans suitable to their customers’ needs. Wix even takes into consideration customers who are low on money but still want to undergo a payment plan.
If Wix isn’t to your liking, there are other sites such as Blogger and Wordpress. They all equally offer a variety of themes for those who value visuals and aesthetics as one of the main aspects of their website, enabling you to challenge your creativity when creating your site.
The significance of websites in the twenty-first century is profound, but I’ve noticed that even though these sites promote the connection between people all over the world, less and less individuals are paying attention to what’s occurring around them.
Engrossed. Obsessed. These are just two words I would describe the youth of today (and even myself) while I’m typing on this very site. Everyday people wake up and the first activity they probably do is to check their social media. They probably open their Twitter for the latest news, which is great for the younger generation to keep up to date with what’s happening in the world. But does this get them and us to act when our help is needed? News of distress will usually just evoke words of sympathy, but no action whatsoever.
It makes me wonder why I decided to sign up for a social media account in the first place — was it because I truly wanted to? Or was it because everyone else had social media accounts?
One thing is for sure, I wanted to share my work and my thoughts through a ‘place’ that replicated who I was, and I found that I could easily do that with a website.
So, who needs a website?
I would say those wanting to promote a business, or those wanting to start a blog, but who am I to stop you from pursuing something greater through the form of a website?
References:
(1–5) https://hostingfacts.com/internet-facts-stats/
(6) https://www.wix.com/store/plans?siteGuid=e367ea11-5383-44bd-a3c5-b665a8a412af&instanceId=&appDefId=&defaultOfferingUrl=&referralAdditionalInfo=MP2_CHOOSE_PLAN_B4_CONNECT#/
