So, Is Internet All That Bad Things?

You guys have been followed us this whole semester and hearing all the bad things about Internet and IAD. This last post will give you a summary of everything we've been discussed, as well as, we will touch on BAD and GOOD sides of Internet in general.

   The GOOD side

1. Communication:

Internet has made it so much easier and faster to connect and communicate with people anywhere anytime in the world. "Our earth has reduced and has attained the form of a global village." Not only emailing, chatting, and video conferencing with our families and friends, but developing global economics and exploring other culture of different ethnicity are undeniable uses of Internet.

2. Information:

You can find any sort of information, any type of data on almost any kind of subject that you are looking for just by going on the Internet search engines like Google, Yahoo, Bing, and so on.

3. Entertainment:

Media of internet has become quite successful in trapping entertainment factor. Online games, music, video, chat rooms, you name it, are indeed the most uses of Internet.

4. Services:

Many online services are now provided widespread on the Internet such as banking and e-commerce.

The BAD side

1. Privacy

2. Virus threats

3. Serious health issues

4. Internet Addiction

Though there are downsides of Internet uses and effects on health, society, work, and relationships, the advantages of Internet outweigh its disadvantages. However, we should not deny or ignore the serious impacts it lays on our lives, as we mentioned in our presentation "MODERATE IS THE KEY." Know the limit and you can take out most of the GOOD sides; otherwise, it's not worthy!

eBay: A Virtual Shopping Addiction

I found an interesting article discussing about people addicted to ebay:

EBay was founded in 1995. Ever since then it has been known as the world’s largest, virtual flea market. This website allows users to search for whatever objects they would like to have and place a bid in hopes of obtaining their desired object. A website that offers thousands and thousands of items seem like an amazing feature to any person. However; the amazement of eBay has also develop a new form of shopping addiction for individuals. According to Jim Griffith, a worker for eBay, the typically eBay-obsessed person, he said, “tends to be someone who likes to shop, loves to hunt and loves the treasure-hunt aspect to shopping.” The internet auction house has traditionally been a place to find junks of all kinds. People become addicted to the thrill of finding a nostalgic item of their past or the thrill of bidding against other people. Although the idea of shopping and bidding seems harmless enough, Dr. Kimberly Young, director of the Center for Online Addiction, believes that “there are a growing number of eBay addicts.” Her patients would come visit her and tell her that couples have lied to their spouse about how much they spend on eBay. Even go as far as taking money out of the 401(k) fund without telling the spouse. Some people even dip into their retirement and children’s college funds or take out a second mortgage to support their eBay addiction. Ebay still is a great tool for achieving random items, but just like any other form of addiction. Some people just need their fix on eBay.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,189365,00.html

Chris Childs