The internet: Opportunities and Challenges
The Internet
In an increasingly digital world, living in a digital society, where communication and sharing information is made easier than ever before. Technological advancements are developing at a faster rate than ever before. The internet is a transformational innovation that has paved the way for innovation such as social media. The internet is a recent phenomenon co-founded in 1968 by Vinton Cerf and Bob Kahn; the internet continues to have a greater impact on society today.
The internet is defined as “a global computer network providing a variety of information and communication facilities, consisting of interconnected networks using standardized communication protocols”
The Internet of Things (IoT) is defined as “the network of physical objects “things” that are embedded with sensors, software, and other technologies for the purpose of connecting and exchanging data with other devices and systems over the internet”
Opportunities
The internet became more important in keeping society connected, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic when lockdowns were enforced, accelerating the demand for working from home, and education was delivered online teaching and learning. According to Openreach, the UK’s largest broadband provider, Internet usage more than doubled. Consumption increased to 50,000 petabytes of data in 2020, compared to 22,000 in 2019. This changed the way people communicate with each other through video calls via Zoom and Microsoft Teams. Lockdowns forced consumers to conduct activities online such as online shopping, grocery delivery and restaurant delivery Deliveroo, Just Eat, and Uber Eats. For example, fast fashion brand Primark is undergoing digital transformation with a digital strategy of developing an online website. This emphasises the importance of having a digital presence during periods of uncertainty.
Challenges
Numerous challenges of the internet exist, including data privacy identifying fraud and online stalking, child, and adult safety online, cyber security and addiction to social media impact on mental health, and fake news misinformation. Such problems are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to identify. Raising awareness of issues by sharing experiences can help others to avoid dangers and become safer digital citizens online.
In a data-driven world where data is growing exponentially, the internet has major implications. Privacy concerns are becoming an increasing problem under increased scrutiny. A digital footprint is formed based on users online activity where information is collected on purchasing habits and used by large tech companies such as Google, and Microsoft usually without users’ knowledge, to provide targeted advertisements. Similarly, social media sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube operate to provide targeted advertisements.
However, another challenge online is safety online and cybersecurity. Hackers may exploit digital footprint observe to third-party payments. People are increasingly demanding more control over companies using their personal data and request privacy this ensures safety. Regulations must ensure users are not disadvantaged. In order to mitigate this users must limit information shared online and on social media and install anti-virus software on digital devices offering protection from malware and viruses. This will ensure safety and security.
The younger generation are more likely to experience smartphone addiction cannot imagine life without mobile devices. This has implications on memory, cognitive ability. They must limit the time spend on looking at a screen. Academic literature suggest there is a link between social media use is strongly associated with mental health which can lead to anxiety, depression and poor academic performance. Users must stay present and practice mindfulness for example, practice breathing techniques to live in the moment.
Digital Exclusion
A digital divide exists between those who have access to digital technologies and those who do not. In the UK deep inequalities exist impacting the millions of the poorest in society who have no access to the internet digital exclusion exists. According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS) In 2020, 5% (2.7 million) of UK adults have not used the internet a reduction from 7% (3.9 million) in the previous year. Coronavirus has intensified this digital divide. To bridge the gap, the internet must achieve digital inclusion with the aim of being accessible to all.
The future of the internet
Businesses are moving towards a Hybrid working model that provides flexibility enabling employees to remote working from home. For example, Zoom’s founder Eric S. Yuan supports Hybrid working and retains users post-pandemic. This transition to online is providing an opportunity for the Metaverse to become dominant in the world of work. Mark Zuckerberg founder of Facebook proposed the Metaverse an immersive virtual world using virtual reality and augmented reality combined to form mixed reality. The immersive experience allows users with virtual reality headsets to escape from the real world. Popular in gaming, Metaverse looks to replace the internet in the future. However, many are reluctant to adopt the technology as data and privacy issues exist are likely to become more invasive.
In conclusion, I believe the internet is a revolutionary innovation. There are many implications of living in a digital world both opportunities and challenges coexist. It is important to find a balance. The internet is likely to keep evolving but we must stay aware of challenges and anticipate how to overcome them for example, protecting personal data privacy online. This is likely to ensure digital citizen safety and digital economy. Also, bridging the gap between the digital divide is likely the Internet will have a greater impact on society. This will lead to stronger economy.
Reflection
Overall, as a business and management student, I have thoroughly enjoyed the digital society course. This course unit has developed my critical thinking and transferable skills, which have helped on other modules. I have contributed by sharing my ideas with others and learning from my peers each week. I have developed my independent learning. The prepare and reflect tool via Blackboard was beneficial as it helped me with time management to stay on track and review my progress throughout. I was able to stay organised and tick off the checklist as I went along.
I form part of the Generation Z cohort. Having been brought up surrounded by technology, I wanted to gain a better understanding of the wider implications of living in a digital society. I have found the data privacy of the internet topic quite staggering how technology companies and social media platforms gather data without users’ knowledge digital footprint. I have become more aware of privacy concerns and exercise caution when sharing information online and on social media. I have also found the Metaverse quite interesting future technology. however, I would feel reluctant to adopt the technology and would stay in the present
A challenge I faced was the format of the course. Teaching was delivered all online without in-person lectures. This was my first entire online module I was hesitant at first, but I quickly adjusted to the format/layout. However, this presented an opportunity. It gave me flexibility I was able to work through the topics each week at my own pace. Another challenge I faced was writing in an informal blog-style format. However, I was able to adapt my academic writing style to meet the needs of an online audience. As a result, I have developed a hobby for blog writing. The Medium tool has been easy to use and effective. I will continue to utilise the Medium platform for blogging in the future. and look forward to reading others interesting blog posts in my spare time.
The feedback I received on the course has been valuable. The feedback I received for the previous assignments digisoc1 and digisoc2 helped me to improve in certain areas for improvement. For example, I have understood the importance of intellectual property rights providing protection to the author, and the copyright owner and ensuring I have permission to use images in my work. I have also used the format such as using bullet points, bold font, italics, section breaks, and images of blogs to guide the reader, making it easier to navigate the text. This is likely to help me in the future. I have been able to communicate with course coordinators via email, which has been responsive and effective.
