The Ups and Downs of the Internet (According to Me) by Ria Purohit

 The Ups and Downs of the Internet (According to Me)

Ria Purohit 

11th Grade 

The internet is a relatively recent invention in the grand scheme of things. But internet culture has evolved immensely over the years. Children have grown up on it, and one of those children is me. 

I like the convenience of having the internet around. Research papers, communication, and learning are all much easier. I love how easy it is to stay up-to-date on the latest news, trends, and cultural phenomena, and there are different communities on the internet to become a part of, so you’ve got company! 

But just as those are pros of the internet, those are also cons. Communication with anyone is easier, even people who are looking to cause harm to others or spread hateful rhetoric. Learning is more convenient, but false information is very easy to spread and easy to deceive people. Staying up-to-date on the latest news is great, but consistently? It can get exhausting and sometimes, feels depressing (especially since the pandemic and everything that happened afterwards). The different communities on the internet can be nice and just talk about your favorite TV show, but some are meant to gather people to spread hate and harm others. 

There are different methods to avoid the negative aspects of the internet, like not putting your age or real name anywhere, try and fact check information with other sources and make sure the source you use is trustworthy, etc. But these precautionary measures have got me wondering: is there a solution to prevent these problems? I mean, there are children everywhere on the internet, an environment that is pretty uncensored. Should there be an acceptable age to access the internet (i.e. only people over the age of 18 can have unfiltered internet access), or does that infringe on the idea that the internet is free for anyone to use? And if censors are implemented, then what would those censors look like? 

These questions, I believe, are not just in my mind. A famous comedian, Bo Burnahm, shares a similar sentiment and has made lots of commentary of how the internet affects people, as seen from his recent Netflix special “Inside”. Talking about the issue is certainly helpful, but real change to ensure the security of the internet will not happen for a few years. I wanted to write this article to remind people, because it is easy to forget, that the internet is still relatively new and growing rapidly, so it’s expected that certain things will not be figured out. Though I, and people of my age, have grown up on this and are getting more and more familiar with the internet, it’s essential that people do not forget the rule of privacy, being skeptical, and staying vigilant.