Web Advantages and Disadvatages

The web today had a wide array of advantages, that are somewhat tempered by the sometimes dangerous disadvantages also associated with Internet use. For instance it is easy to find just about anything you might want online, from design ideas to a recipe for your favorite cookies (advantage). However, it is equally easy top get "information overload" and have access to so much information that it is impossible to find what you were actually looking for in the beginning (disadvantage).

Another wonderful advantage of the connectivity afforded by the internet is the ability to communicate with anyone anytime. From this freedom springs Spam, the unwanted communication from people you don't know, often much more invasive and prevalent than junk mail in your physical inbox.

Another advantage of the internet, e-commerce, also breeds a disadvantage that keeps some people off the web entirely. My own grandmother wont have the internet in her house for fear of Identity Theft, after an instance of shopping on a less than trusted site and having her identity (and financial information) stolen. Luckily she realized what had happened early, after only one or two small withdrawals, and was able to stop the thieves in their tracks, but many people do not realize what has happened in such a timely fashion. Still, the ability to shop online, when done safely, has become a great convenience of modern life.

Other advantages include free entertainment, and online education, but are tempered by virus threats (from downloaded material) and pornography, an education no-one wants their children to receive.