Impact of the Internet on Our Country

Impact of the Internet on Our Country

Impact of the Internet on Our Country

Today I decided to go to work an hour early so that I could get in my participation for the online school I am attending. During my lunch break, I paid a couple of bills online and bought some books from blackexpression.com. Also, I e-mailed my mother-in-law to let her know that she will be seeing her grandchildren soon. In order to survive in this country a person needs to have good time management. While other technological changes have influenced our country, the Internet has had the largest effect on life in this country by adding more options of communication, allowing us to shop online and take care of our finances, and by allowing us to attend online universities and further our education.

People have come a long way from simply sending a letter or postcard in the mail to let loved ones know how we are doing. There is now e-mail and instant messenger available. Most people spend a considerable amount of time on the computer. At my job the main form of communication is through e-mail. We have offices all along the east coast and most people check their e-mail before they even check their phone voicemail. Also, e-mail allows an electronic trail of what is being said between two or more people. Another form of communication used is instant messaging. This is a good form of communication if a person spends a great deal of time on the computer. While doing other things a person can chat with family and friends in real time. With instant messaging most times you will receive a response to a message shortly after it is received. "E-mail has provided us with a way to communicate over distance and allows us to stay in touch regularly. But instant messaging takes this concept a step further by creating an atmosphere of instantaneous conversation that is both warm and yes, even engaging"(Pilkington, 2008). E-mail and instant messaging are just a few examples of communication using the internet, which are the most popular, but there are other forms such as chat rooms, blogging and u-tube to name a few.

The Internet has made it easier for us to pay our bills and keep track of our finances. Instead of writing a check and mailing it out, allowing enough time before it is due, we can just make a few clicks of the mouse and have our bills paid. "Like many processes nowadays, efficient bill-paying means moving from pen and paper to keyboard and computer screen" (Karp, 2008). Also, the bank allows us to set up automatic withdrawal so that the funds are automatically withdrawn from the account each month. With this option you will never be late on paying a bill. Most banks are set up online so that a person can view his or her account balance whenever he or she wants. The Internet also allows the benefits of shopping online. Often when we have families or jobs that consume a great deal of our time there is no time for shopping or buying things we want for ourselves. A person can buy just about anything they need online such as groceries, televisions, clothes, cars, books, computers, and shoes. If there is no time to go to the store a person can purchase online and have it shipped to them. It's best said in the article Shop online for everything (2007), if you are still spending most of your weekend inside a grocery store waiting in line or at the mall fighting with the crowds, then it is time to go home and start shopping from the couch (Palmer, p.61).

Many people are starting to attend classes online. By having online universities it makes it possible for students who otherwise wouldn't have time in an on campus class to attend school online. The Internet is making it possible for more people in our country to advance educationally. According to Amy Rolph (2008) there are millions of students around the country who attend class from just about everywhere including living room sofas and home offices (p. A1). By attending school online students are able to make their own schedules. There are no worries about being late or wondering if you have time to fit this class in between work and picking the children