Global Village: Leveraging the Internet in 21st Century

Global village, a term coined in the late 20th century used to describe a world where distance and isolation are reduced as a result of ease of communication and sharing of information across the globe (Miller, 2018). With the advent of innovations such as the satellites and the internet, the world can be described as a global village. In the 21st Century, the internet has mainly played a vital role in the spread of information. It has a tool not only for giving primary data of the where what when and how but is also a platform for interactions and entertainment. Acquisition of information plays a vital role in our day to day lives, essentially giving meaning to what we do or any plans that we make or intend to make.

Thesis statement: This article will elaborate on the social media communication and sharing information, technological advances in communication, benefits and concerns of sharing information on the internet; affordability of sharing business ideas versus internet scammers, and open and unstifled source of news versus unethical reporting.

Sharing Of Information and Communication

Social media platforms; through the invention of several online applications such as Twitter and Facebook, individuals and even companies can create their profiles and publicly share their opinions and interests with a large number of users of the same applications. Newsrooms, religious groups, political parties, and the likes have made use of these platforms to further their interests reaching as many people as they could in a short amount of time. Picture and videos sharing systems such as Instagram allow users to share real-time images of their day to day activities.

Blogging; as a form of online journalism, this platform is used by individuals to air their views on specific issues as well as giving a chance for the blogger and the subscribers to interact and share their views, since there is a provision for the subscribers to comment on the blog (Miller, 2018).

Direct messaging; for information that would preferably be directed to a specific individual, this would be an excellent means of communicating. Applications such as Messenger and WhatsApp are examples of online application s which allow one to one communication between the two individuals without making the information known to the public.

Websites that are specially designed online pages that are used to distribute vast amounts of information to the general public. Sites are especially useful for organizations and companies to pass knowledge about their products and the services they offer. This factor makes marketing of products and services more affordable for those venturing into business. Online articles on specific issues can be obtained on such platforms. Newsrooms have also made use of their websites to give news as it happens without waiting for the prime broadcast time. Newspapers and other dailies do not necessarily need to be delivered at the doorstep each morning as one can have easy access to the soft copies on specific websites.

Electronic mails; sending letters from one person to another or a group of people has now been made easier using the electronic means of letter writing. With just a click of a button, one can send a letter from one end of the world to the other without having to wait days or weeks for the recipient to get the information.

Technological Advancements

The invention of smartphones has made the sharing of information very easy from one individual to another. Online applications used for sharing information can easily be installed into the devices allowing one to access information online as they go about their day to day activities.

Unlike in the past years where one had to be in a specific place or room and plugged into a router to connect to the internet, the invention of Wi-Fi has made it possible for individuals to access the internet anywhere and anytime (Nagatsuma, Ducournau & Renaud, 2016). Multiple devices can now be connected to the same router wirelessly. In the event that an individual is out of range of their specific Wi-Fi router, there are now portable routers that can be used when one is on the move and so the chain of flow of information needs not to be broken, or one does not have to miss out on news that is being shared online in real time.

Benefits and Concerns of Sharing Information on the Internet

Ease of sharing and accessing information versus overload of information. Typing and uploading information has been simplified such that any individual with basic knowledge and access to the internet can do it. This has made it very convenient for people to freely express their opinions, share news and even access online entertainment. On the contrary, when an individual uses the internet as a source of information concerning a particular topic, they may be bombarded with a lot of circulating articles some of which might be contradictory yet commenting on the same subject. This may lead to uncertainty as it would be quite difficult to distinguish which source is reliable and what information available is accurate and correct (Weinberg, Milne, Andonova & Hajjat, 2015).

Affordability of Sharing Business Ideas versus Internet Scammers

Sharing information online especially for startup businesses has proven to be a more affordable means to gain traction in the market as it is easy for them to advertise their products online. On the other hand cunny, individuals also make use of this same avenue to extort money from gullible individuals by posing as business people only that they advertise the fake product or missing ones. This creates a problem for genuine online marketers as it is harder for them to gain the trust of the online market.

Open and Unstifled Source of News versus Unethical Reporting

Because information on the internet can be shared anonymously, it is easier for one to freely share their opinion or make exposes which would otherwise not be openly shared in the mainstream media. The anonymity, however, has a downside to it, anyone who has an opinion can share information on the internet not considering the ethics and morals of reporting and sharing information (Burbules, 2018). As a result of this, some susceptible information and propaganda find its way to the internet, and this may end up causing a lot of harm and damage in society. In addition to spreading false radical and insensitive information, some have used the internet to advertise their criminal and terrorist acts. Individuals have taken to the internet to live stream disturbing videos of killings, executions and other illegal activities.

Conclusion

The internet can serve as a vital and handy tool of information, but to some individuals, the internet is a fascinating toy robbing them of active time that can be used for other productive activities. Due to internet addiction, some have become antisocial and opt not to have one on one interactions with people and hence cannot foster meaningful relationships.

Knowledge of what is happening around us is vital. It helps one to plan their day, make plans and establish relationships. The internet has played a significant role in making this possible despite the downsides; it has taken communication in the 21st century to a higher and more efficient level.

References

Burbules, N. (2018). Watch IT: The Risks And Promises Of Information Technologies For Communication. Routledge. Retrieved from: https://www.routledge.com/Watch-It-The-Risks-And-Promises-Of-Information-Technologies-For-Education/Burbules/p/book/9780429503153

Miller, S. S. (2018). Growth in the Internet Technology Market of Identity and Access Management. Retrieved from: https://www.identitymanagementinstitute.org/identity-and-access-management-market-analysis/

Nagatsuma, T., Ducournau, G., & Renaud, C. C. (2016). Advances in Terahertz Communications Accelerated By Photonics. Nature Photonics, 10(6), 371.

Weinberg, B. D., Milne, G. R., Andonova, Y. G., & Hajjat, F. M. (2015). Internet of Things: Convenience vs. privacy and secrecy. Business Horizons, 58(6), 615-624.