The internet is something we use daily, just like how this blog is online. And with technological innovation, the possibilities of how we can use the internet are expanding constantly. As this virtual world becomes an important part of reality, it is sometimes hard to separate the two dimensions. The internet has actually integrated the real world and the cyber world, with the existence of internet dating, internet banking, shopping online, etc. It’s kind of scary actually, because the virtual world is such a big part of our real lives. Of course it is very convenient and efficient, but it is unbelievable that we can shop or communicate with a person on the other side of the earth with a few clicks in our own home.
First, let’s compare and contrast the real world and virtual world by looking at two examples. The similarities are quite obvious. With online shopping and online dating we can do the same action online and in the real world. With online shopping for instance, shopping is the similarity. We can buy a certain piece of clothing online or at the store. However, there are many differences between taking this action online and in real life. Concerning online shopping, the first obvious difference is that it is more convenient than having to go to the store to look for clothes. And, at the store, you can only choose from the storage that certain store has, but online, there should be more variety to choose from, and more stock. There are many negative aspects of online shopping as well. The security of the transaction for example. If the website is not that well-known, it might not be trustworthy, and because you may be giving private information like your credit card number, it is actually dangerous. You also may get the wrong product, or worse, get the right product but it might not fit or look good on you. Because you can’t actually see the product or try it on, you don’t really know what it’s going to be like until you receive it. These differences apply to online dating as well. With online dating, you can meet people from a much wider regional range than you could just by going to work or to school. You can also pick someone you’re hobbies or personality matches with, by answering several questions. It is much more convenient than having to go through the hassle of meeting and talking to several people before finding someone with traits you are looking for. However, there is also the danger of not knowing the truth. Because you do not directly know the person you are connected with online, it is hard to tell whether they are lying or not, and this could be dangerous. Thus in conclusion, we find that the internet provides efficiency and convenience, but comes with many dangers.
Concerning services that can be added or improved, I think security is a big issue that needs to be worked on. It may never be resolved, but should be lessened. I use the internet for email, chatting, researching, watching videos, online shopping, and using websites. For emails, I still find a lot of spam in my mailbox, which I want to get rid of. If there were some way for the email service to find emails I don’t need and delete them. With chatting and watching videos, I don’t really have any complaints. Concerning researching, I could hope for better search engines that can find exactly what I need. And online shopping, the security issue as I said before. Although I don’t really need it for anything else, getting creative, I could imagine a computer similar to a robot. And basically with the internet connected to it, I would be able to access my computer from wherever I am, and the computer would be connected to other electronic appliances in my home, and I would be able to operate them. I think it’s called artificial intelligence. Just as scientists are working on trying to make robots as human-like as possible, dealing with emotions and thought, this could be applied to improving the internet as well. For example a website that can read your feelings and provide websites that would match your mood. With the internet continuously evolving, life will become even more convenient. However, with these improvements, our privacy will be even more easily accessible to strangers, our right more easily infringed, and security an even more important issue.
