“ Internet does more harm than good.” Do you agree? Discuss.

The Internet, also known as the World Wide Web, has been very useful for people
over the years. Having the internet creates wonders for the people because they are able to
get tasks done much quicker than by doing them by themselves. It has provided many ways
for people to communicate with others, shop online, pay their bills online, entertain
themselves, learn, etc. But people have not truly realized the disadvantages the internet has.
The internet is not as astonishing as it seems simply because it is known for spreading viruses
and infections to computers, releasing private information, having inaccurate data or research
on websites, and is also where some illegal activities and crimes are taking place. In my point
of view, I agree to an extend that Internet does more harm than good as our privacy is harmed,
the present of behind profiles identity and people addicted towards Internet. Meanwhile, I
also come to a view that Internet does good for people as our lives become easier and faster.

First of all, everyone’s privacy is greatly harmed by the internet. We can quickly see
what politicians and celebrities are doing when the paparazzi posts news pictures online, but
people can also see what we’ve been doing. Some sites store information. Some ask us to
fill in information which can be sold to other sites for commercial purposes. Once we post
something online, it is almost impossible to erase it from the net. For example, if I break up
with a person, they can take revenge and post embarrassing photos of me online. There have
been numerous court cases where a woman demanded that her ex remove some privately
taken photos from a dating site, so that she would be left alone. Unfortunately, the law cannot
protect your right to privacy in this area. Hence, internet is harmful as it does not protect your
privacy but expose your privacy to people who might bad used of it.

Besides, you can choose any identity you want when you are online. Many people
hide behind profiles they have made up. They start making nasty remarks on public forums
or chat rooms. They would never have normally said these things, but because they can hide
behind an identity they start upsetting and hurting others. Even though other people can try
to stop them from this behaviour, their warnings are not as effective as a warning from
someone you know very well, like a friend, a parent or a teacher. Furthermore, someone can
hide behind profiles and committed crimes, especially towards the young generation. We can
see easily from the news that young generation who we say were “easy to trust” were being
cheated for their feelings and money. Some may even commit suicide as they cannot accept
the reality. This has become a danger of using internet and it alarmed the public. Therefore,
internet is also harmful to people as we do not know who is behind the profile made up.

Moreover, many people are just addicted to the internet. They can’t stop browsing,
they are hooked on gaming and they spend too much time indoors. Instead of going out for
a walk or play outside, they sit behind their computers for hours. A sad consequence of the
addiction is that they are so used to high speed information by just clicking on the next link
that they can no longer appreciate a good book, or a nice conversation with a friend. By failing
to take exercise they grow fat and unhealthy. There are even some cases that show some
people who were too addicted to the social network or gaming ended up losing their lives as
they pressing on their phones or playing their computer for the entire day until the early in the
morning. Thus, internet can bring harm to people especially to their health.

However, the internet has brought greater prosperity, allowing lots of different
businesses to set up online. This has brought a lot more choice to ordinary people, and also
driven down prices as people find it easier to compare different companies’ products. Small
businesses can cheaply set up online and find a market for their goods and services. And by
making it easier to work anywhere with an internet connection, it has allowed many more
people to work from home and to share out projects with co-workers over the whole world. In
addition, people can perform many tasks within the shortest time possible through internet.
For example, instead of queuing at the bank, one can easily access his bank statement using
online banking services from anywhere. Hence, it can be good to people as it becomes a
time saver for everyone.

In conclusion, it is true that the Internet has not completely brought harm to the society.
I believe that it is not the internet that brings harm but depends on how the people used it. It
is true that the Internet has improved the lives of others, but, we cannot just overlook the
harm and trust the Internet completely.