There’s no doubt that technology has changed our lives. Of course by now we thought we’d be living in a Jetsons fantasy with flying cars and robotic maids. But hey, we’re getting close with self-driving Teslas and Roombas. The invention of the internet was something we could have never expected, though. From being able to Google how to hard boil an egg (because, yeah, sometimes you have to Google simple things like that) to watching a YouTube video on how to change the battery in the fob of your car key, the internet has changed the way we live. But is that a good thing? With the good comes the bad, and unfortunately, the internet is a little bit of both. 

We’ve come up with a list of the top 10 positive and negative effects of the internet. Don’t worry, we’ll start with the good parts.

Positive Effects of the Internet 

The Internet Can Keep Us Together

Communication is a part of human nature. The internet has become so embedded in every aspect of our daily lives that people of all ages have come to use it. The explosion of social media has brought everyone closer together. We’re able to keep up with our parents, grandparents, children, cousins and cross-country friends with just the swipe of a screen and tap of an app. It doesn’t just help us maintain relationships with the people we already know. We’re also able to meet new people and make new friends. 

Thanks to the internet, it only takes seconds to deliver lengthy messages using social media. It’s given us an unlimited  amount of ways to communicate in a simpler, more accessible and more immediate way. We can maintain relationships using our laptops, tablets, smartwatches and smartphones.

The Internet Can Redefine Business, Online Shopping and Mobile Banking Interactions and Transactions

Believe it or not, the internet is one of the driving factors boosting our economy. Especially in a world overrun by a pandemic, everything you could possibly want can be bought online. 

The internet is not just for shopping and social media though. Businesses are utilizing the internet for their own benefit. Online applications are considered a norm when applying for jobs. That way, businesses can reach a wider audience when searching for highly-qualified candidates.

You can also use your website or social media accounts to show customers your content, products or overall brand. When you do this on social media, you’re able to connect with your followers and get a better understanding of the consumer. This doesn’t just strengthen your brand’s reputation and awareness, it also gives the business opportunity to improve what the shoppers are struggling with.

The internet has benefited businesses with more income generated and easier access to product advertisement. As a result of being able to advertise more efficiently and effectively, business’ income generation has increased drastically. Startups have an easier time getting started because they don’t need to invest a lot by trying to increase brand exposure using traditional methods when they can advertise online. They can now expose their brand to a worldwide audience on the web --- something that was once impossible unless their company had an enormous budget. 

The Internet Can Encourage Creativity in Everyone

Self expression is one of the most important things you can do. And the internet can help. Through platforms like Facebook, YouTube and even TikTok, anyone with even an ounce of creativity can hone their skills and share them with friends and followers online. 

Instead of suppressing creativity, technology enhances the creative process. It has inspired new careers and creations. From the first website made in 1991 to the creation of Google in 1998, to the explosion of TikTok in the 2010s, we can see how web design has completely changed. Designing websites requires the ability to brainstorm creatively, study and work on color theory, and entice users based on their wants, needs, and personal preference. To enhance the experience of users and to invite a rapid growth in website traffic, web designers began experimenting more with animations, colors, parallax layouts, content creation, and even e-commerce features such as one-click checkouts and paycheck scanners. This clearly tells us that the advancement in technology has definitely forced designers to become more creative and more user-experienced focused. 

Businesses now have the opportunity to introduce and promote themselves more creatively using various platforms. Constant exposure to online content has helped businesses stay up-to-date with their competition, research the needs of consumers, and re-imagine content to suit the needs of their consumers. 

The Internet Can Offer Limitless Avenues for Learning

The internet has given us limitless possibilities for learning. It has gifted humanity countless books and journals that are available online from all the libraries around the world, which has essentially made research a lot easier. It serves as a platform for students to learn anything they want as they can now opt to choose from the many readily available online courses within just a click away --- from researching assignments to even acquiring degrees through online education programs. Now everyone has the chance to attend college. Some are taking care of their families, working or living far away from their college of choice, but online classes have changed all that. With online classes, students can enroll and study in the comforts of their own home and from their own convenience.

The internet has completely changed the game for teachers. They’re able to provide access to material for their classes to students without wasting paper. And speaking of papers, students working on their own research papers don’t have to spend hours in the stacks searching for the perfect book to perfect their thesis anymore. With a few clicks of the keyboard, students can find almost anything they’re looking for online. 

The Internet Can Improve the Health and Finance Sectors

Heathcare’s recently gone digital, which sounds crazy, because you’d think you’d have to sit through hours in the waiting room and in the doctor’s office waiting for a diagnosis. But, as per usual, the internet has changed that. Healthcare professionals are working online now to swiftly make a patient diagnosis or choose a suitable treatment plan. The internet also allows doctors to consult with each other for better treatment plans and operation procedures. Today, consumers can gather health-related information by themselves and communicate with their providers electronically, and even receive care at home. 

In the finance sector, the internet has dramatically changed the cost and capabilities for marketing, distributing and servicing financial products. The internet also plays a major role in other segments of the industry, such as financial information and news, rating and comparison services, financial planning and investment banking. 

Negative Effects of the Internet 

It’s become second nature for society to check Facebook, Twitter and Instagram every chance they get, caring more about someone’s Man Crush Monday or who subtweeted whom on Twitter. We don’t realize how self-absorbed we’ve become, or how much we depend on the internet for everything. So, while there are a lot of pros to the ever-changing internet, there is bad alongside it, too. 

The Internet Can Affect Our Health

The development of the internet would be far less detrimental to our health if we didn’t have smartphones, handheld tablets and computers that weigh less than a bottle of water. These devices steal our attention. Checking your texts turns into watching one funny video, which turns into a three-hour rabbit hole of what baby carrots are and why they’re even a thing. Suddenly it’s 2 a.m., and your eyes are totally strained from the blue light you’ve been staring at in your dark little room all night. This is called the digital eye. Symptoms of digital eye include dry eyes and blurred vision and can lead to pains in other areas of the body, like your head, neck and shoulders.

Too much use of your mobile gadgets can ultimately lead to incorrect posture (that’s right, sit up straight, we know you’re slouching). It’s no secret that most of our technology promotes a down-forward user position. Unfortunately, this puts unnecessary amounts of pressure on the neck and spine. 

Using technology before bedtime could even cause a sleep disorder. This is due to the blue light emitted by mobile devices that stimulate the brain. This blue light is enough to disturb the body’s natural circadian rhythm. This disturbance can make the user struggle when trying to fall asleep and ultimately lead to being less alert the following day.

Too much internet can also lead to too little physical activity. The more we lead a sedentary life, the easier it is to acquire health problems like obesity. 

The Internet Can Cause Social Media Addiction that Leads to Emotional Harm

    It wasn’t long after the internet’s creation that social media came into play. Instead of caring about genuine interactions, we’ve come to obsess over likes and retweets and hearts and shares and comments and it creates a skewed self-image. Social media has set a standard for what is beautiful, for what is acceptable. It has introduced us to the concept of the how-to’s when it comes to our body and our appearance. In result, the algorithms of these social media applications lead us to the different tips in getting a perfect body without even working out or doing cardio exercises, a perfect skin care routine, a perfect summer body, a perfect brow shape, a perfect hair color for each season, a perfect diet or food supplement, and so much more! All these lead us to strive to perfect at least one or two of these “tips” and often get frustrated when we fail to achieve them. 

The Internet Can Be a Source of Illegal and Inappropriate Materials Unsuitable for Young People 

Not everything on the internet is made for everyone. But because everyone has access to the intent, it’s becoming increasingly easier for children to get their hands (and eyes) on inappropriate content. This content that’s not suitable for children has the power to introduce concepts to their minds that they’re not ready to manage or comprehend yet, thus causing them to grow up too quickly. Children and young people may not have found these things deliberately, but you can’t unsee things not meant for you.

The Internet May Become an Avenue for Cyber Crimes

Cyber crime is criminal activity that either targets users or a network device by hackers eager to make money. Cyber crimes, which can be preventable, can be in the form of an email masked as identity fraud, theft or financial/card payment data. There’s also phishing. Not, like with the aquatic animal. Rather, it’s when spam emails or other forms of communication are sent with the intention of tricking recipients into doing something that risks their security. This may contain infected attachments or links to malicious sites, or ask the receiver to respond with confidential information.

Cyber crimes have created a major threat among us with thousands and thousands of user information stolen. Without the proper protection or awareness, hackers can steal confidential information straight from your computer. 

The Internet Can Affect Children’s Development

It’s undeniable that the internet plays an important role in our day-to-day lives. What we need to focus on is how much screen time children get, because excessive use of the internet can negatively affect children’s development. Their attention span, memory skills, language acquisition and critical reasoning can all be hindered with too much tech. 

It may seem like the easy solution to hand a crying kid an iPad with Peppa Pig playing, but these distracting gadgets aren’t the right way to parent. Technology isn’t just addicting for adults, and you don’t want to start children on something so engrossing so young.