Research Paper Example on Impact of Internet Education on Economic Growth

In this era of technology, the internet is a vital aspect of technological advancements. Because of the increased dependency on technology, the world is experiencing several changes. Economic growth is one of the essential aspects of human lives that is currently pegged on the internet. The internet has become extremely diversified such that it supports educational systems (Online/internet education) which is a significant player in the global economic growth. Internet education has a direct impact on the economic growth. Although some people have opposed the assumption that the increasing dependence on the internet would make the world a global village, their claims seems inappropriate. Several tangible proofs are showing that the internet technology has enhanced the effectiveness of education systems, communication methods, and economic activities. The improved efficiency evident in these activities shows that internet is setting a conducive environment for economic growth. This paper examines the relationship between internet education and the economic activities. Specifically, the paper explores the impact of internet education on the economic growth.

The underdeveloped parts of the world have low literacy levels because their education systems are not as advanced as those of the developed regions. A decent educational system is vital requirement for the society to progress in any way. The internet aids the delivery of an adequate educational system hence, an advanced education. Therefore, the limited access to internet connectivity in the less developed countries hinders efficient access to information thus impeding the efficiency of education delivery. Internet education enables self-learning, broadens ones perspective, and enables an individual to express his or her ideas freely. Therefore, lack of internet access would deny one the opportunity to implement his ideas. Deductive studies observed that countries with increased levels of internet access exhibit low levels of poverty whereas countries with low intensities of internet penetration are poor (Guerrero 2). Some of the factors affecting internet penetration include high internet prices, high costs of devices permitting internet access, and lack of skills and knowledge on how to use the internet. It is, therefore, possible to argue that the less developed regions are wallowing in the state of poverty because they lack internet connectivity hence poor education systems. Since an education system that is not well-developed means fewer enlighten individuals, regions with few elites automatically experience minimal economic growth. This happens because the number of people with the required skills to ensure economic growth is low.

Contrastively, internet education enhances the availability of education hence improving the labor productivity by increasing the number of skilled and knowledgeable employees. This, in turn, ensures a substantial economic growth. For instance, in some developing nations, the policy of using the internet to transform the efficiency and effectiveness of the public sector has resulted in a considerable economic growth (Jin 91). Some of the developing countries that have considered investing in the internet education have transformed their education systems greatly. A well-developed education system ensures effective training of professionals who in turn enhance the productivity of the economic sectors they are in-charge of. Similarly, the middle-income economies have tried to absorb the new technology that the developed nations have embraced by increasing the internet skills of their workforce.

Before the world embraced the technological advancement it has today, communication was not as efficient as it is currently. Today, the communication is beyond the local system as it has transcended to the global scale. This happened because of the technological advancement and the availability of the internet (Billon, Jorge, and Fernando 55). Undoubtedly, communication is vital to the economy because efficient communication network directly improves the economic growth. The internet being the most dynamic system of global communication ensures an effective transfer of information from one person to another through electronic mail or even social media platforms regardless of the distance. Therefore, the internet has revolutionized communication as people can now communicate with one another across the globe just at the click of a button. Also, it is easy to search on the internet and access any information required. Therefore, internet education aids the education processes by creating an easy and reliable means of accessing the necessary educational materials. A well-developed education system would directly lead to economic growth as a highly educated population is an empowered society. A comparison of the economic growth experienced before the internet and after the internet would undoubtedly show that the internet plays a major role in the economic growth (Johnson 1186). Mobile money transfers have also become possible as people can transfer money from any part of the world regardless of the currency through online means such as PayPal, Western Union, and Money Gram. The ease of tasks such as money transfer and communication that has led to rapid economic growth are products of internet education. Deductively, the internet accounted for twenty-one percent of the economic growth in the mature economies over the last five years.

While internet education has many benefits, there are some slight consequences that the society must expect. Rapid growth in the online community experienced in recent times has to lead to a radical transformation of many cultural conceptions, educational development, and in other aspects of life. The manner that the individuals navigate the internet to find information and knowledge portrays cultural differences both in the virtual and physical world. Because of the diversity of cultures, disagreements tend to arise as people view and understand the information they find online differently. It is easy to manipulate this information for negative or positive motives based on the dynamic nature of the world population. The danger of using the information online negatively is high. For instance, one could easily learn how to make and operate an explosive device through the information they access online. Additionally, the information from the internet could cause moral decadence as anyone could easily access immoral contents such as pornographic videos regardless of their age. The element of intellectual theft was also rampant through the internet. For instance, an individual may use or manipulate an idea found online without acknowledging the original developer/owner of the idea.

Furthermore, communication and knowledge as escalated the globalization to the point that it now threatens to end the panoramic world. Today, the interpersonal relationships are deteriorating. Social media threatens to replace face to face interaction since individuals can chat with their friends or relatives through social media platforms and apps such as Facebook and Snap chat regardless of their location. Online dating sites also seem to replace the conventional dating system. The ever-growing online community also faces the problem of cyberbullying which is just as bad as physical bullying. Internet education is also threatening to eradicate published books and newspapers as people can easily access books online. This is detrimental to the economy as people working in the publishing industry will end up jobless as people continue to embrace online reading and research.

In summary, the advancements in technology are increasing rapidly. Proper use of the internet causes quicker globalization and better networking. Therefore, the internet is a useful tool in improving the efficiency economic growth-oriented processes such as education and communication. Internet education eases access to information and sharing of ideas. Economic growth highly depends on internet education as internet education revolutionizes many aspects economy hence leading to economic growth. However, there is need to treat internet education and the embrace of modern technology with caution because the side effects of internet education are equally substantial.

Works Cited

Guerriro, Marta. The Impact of Internet Connectivity on Economic Development in Sub-Saharan Africa. University of Birmingham, UK. 2015. Print.

Lawrence Jin, Jang C Jin. Internet Education and Economic Growth: Evidence from Cross-3country Regressions, 2014. www.mdpi.com/journal/economicsJohnson, Kuawo-Assan. "Do Internet and Human Capital Matter for Economic Growth in Developing Countries? Empirical Evidence from WAEMU Countries." Modern Economy 7.11 (2016): 1186.

Billon, Margarita, Jorge Crespo, and Fernando Lera-Lopez. "Internet, Educational Disparities, and Economic Growth: Differences Between Low-Middle and High-Income Countries." Catalyzing Development through ICT Adoption. Springer International Publishing, 2017. 51-68.