The internet as we know is a world within another world. Some call it the endless ocean of knowledge and to some, it is nothing short of a miserable invention. It can be considered the most magnificent invention of humanity that has shaped the modern world as we see it today. But to speak matter-of-factly, it has also led to a number of tragedies over the span of the 20th century. But today, we will talk about the influence of the internet on students. We will assess some advantages and disadvantages of the internet for students and their lives.
Students have often turned to the internet for help with their studies. It has the perfect answer to every question searched by the students and can give endless ideas about any subject matter. It has and still is impacting the way students view their academics and to a considerable extent is changing the very chemistry of a student’s life.
So, let’s see how the internet is working to shape and rupture students’ lives today.
Advantages of the Internet For Students
The internet has innumerable advantages for students. It is often seen, especially during the pandemic, that students tend to like learning on the internet more than their educational institutes.
Despite the fact that everything is just a click away on the internet, the schools and universities fail to engage the students the way the internet does. Not to mention, the lectures by the professors do little to help the fiery curiosity of the young minds.
Knowledge
This is one of the major reasons and advantages of the internet that it is used for. One can find any and every kind of information on the internet. And the fact that it is easily accessible today helps its growth even further. It is not just about reading articles on the internet. There are catchy and handy videos, podcasts, and images available on the internet that attract the students more.
Also, the internet is constantly updated according to world news. This is a plus point for students as their textbooks fail to provide updated information.
Connectivity and Communication
The internet seems to have wiped out the distance that once existed between people. Well, the sentence is not literally legible. It extrapolates the connectivity of people.
This feature helps students speak to or contact experts thousands of miles away and express their views. Starting a blog, chatting with other peers overseas, and discussing matters on online forums can help students in the very teaching-learning process.
Accessibility
Accessibility is a tough base for the fame and popularity of the internet among the students. Students love to learn on their own terms and to a considerable extent it is very productive as well. But our traditional education system fails to provide that and students feel burdened by the syllabus and rules.
But, the internet is available 24/7 and can be accessed with a few clicks. This helps students access the information anytime and learn on their own terms.
Online Jobs
Online jobs can help students earn their way into education and life. These jobs available on the internet have flexible shift and qualification requirements. These can help a student earn pocket money and gain some experience of the functionality of the outside world.
There are many options to earn money through the internet by marketing online for other companies, by blogging, and many other ways.
Entertainment
Gone are the days when every kid was crazy about sports and the playtime after school. Today, just as students prefer learning over the internet, they prefer the online mode of entertainment as well.
There are millions of videos and games that keep teenagers and older students glued to the screen; entertaining and educating them in a fun way.
Time-Saving
A major aspect of student life is the proper management of time. Since they have to deal with a lot of subjects and activities, saving time becomes a problem.
But the internet has wiped that problem already. Today, students take to learning from the internet where data is available immediately. They watch videos, read articles, discuss it with their friends online, and store it on the device itself; this saves a lot of time and brings efficiency in the learning process.
Latest Information
One great advantage of the internet for everyone but especially for students is the updation of information. Everyone who wants to stay on top of the latest information from around the world cannot solely depend upon textbooks and universities.
The internet updates information with lightning speed which helps students learn the latest techniques and strategies and get rid of the old and outdated ones. To quote the fact of the matter, the internet is changing the way people view formal education.
Portability of Education
The world today is witnessing an increasing number of enrollments for online education. Students prefer learning online as opposed to traditional education due to the versatility of the internet.
No student is willing to take up traditional education and stick to a rigid system and follow university rules. They like moving around, experiencing the real world, and educating themselves on their own terms with the ease of a simple click.
The world is shifting to an online mode of life. The internet is acting as a gamechanger in the lives of students.
Self-Development
The internet has also been a major platform for students to learn self-development skills. There are videos and online classes for students to learn languages, coding, development, art, yoga, and much more. This section of the web is specifically beneficial for growing kids and teenagers.
Going to yoga classes for mindfulness practice, taking coding lessons, and other required skills today costs a lot of money and consumes a lot of time. But the internet has them all for anyone who can access them at no cost at all.
The Homework Helper
This feature of the internet is specifically helpful for students, especially school-going ones. The homework given by the schools always leads to a burden for kids but with the internet helping them out, it can be flawless.
There are thousands of websites that have been custom-made to provide students homework help. They are also great sources of learning and online classes for other co-curricular activities.
Disadvantages of the Internet For Students
Even though the internet has shaped most of the modern world as we know it today, it has not been off the downside. Like every invention and discovery in human history, the internet comes with a dark side and disadvantages as well, especially for students.
Exposure to Pornographic Content
Exposure to pornographic content is one of the major problems faced by teenagers and young adults today. According to a press release, 37% of the internet accounts for pornographic content only. This is a dangerous situation for kids and school-going teenagers and even for young adults.
It is advised for parents to retrofit adult filters and parental controls on every device to safeguard the students from this new drug.
Anti-Social Attitude
Being glued to the screen may have its perks but it does have some basic and precarious disadvantages. When everything from academics, entertainment, and other requirements of life are available on the internet, students develop an anti-social attitude.
This situation could be more lethal than it sounds. The mild antisocial attitude could take the form of social anxiety and other mental issues that may last a lifetime.
Extreme Dependence on Internet
While the internet can be a great homework helper, it must not become a problem. Many students tend to depend on the internet for help all the time. This takes the form of a bad habit as students find themselves blank even when solving simple and easy questions.
Therefore, too much reliance on the internet can lead to an unproductive behavior of the student. Hence, the parents are advised to exercise control over the ward’s time on the internet.
Health Issues
The health issues related to the use of the internet are also related to the use of computers, phones, and other electronic devices.
The major concern is the eye. Staring at the screen for a prolonged time-period can lead to numerous problems like eye pain, sleeplessness, headache, and in some cases may even lead to reduced sight.
Other disadvantages of prolonged sitting can include neck pain, back pain, and even spondylitis.
Cyber Crimes
Students surfing the web can land themselves into cyber crimes like online frauds and other crimes. The young minds brimming with curiosity can easily fall prey to hackers who lure them in pretty impressively.
Therefore, it is highly advisable to install anti-fraud programs that protect the device and give a better user experience surfing the internet.
Lack of Physical Activity
This point here is very related to antisocial behavior. Students who are teenagers and below need a certain amount of physical exercise or activity on a daily basis for a balanced growth process. But the internet is keeping them busy otherwise.
According to a study 36% of adolescents are engaged in online gamings and are ignoring their physical growth. This can lead to several health issues in the later years.
Wastage of Time
Believe it or not, most of the people present on the internet right now are there because they feel they do not have anything to do. This is a far more serious problem than words can explain. It is okay to have inactivity but spending hours and hours glued to the screen swiping facebook feed and reacting to Instagram posts will never get us anywhere.
Our increased screen time results in reduced eyesight, increased obesity, and other mental and physical health issues.
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- Importance of social media in daily life
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Epilog
To conclude this never-ending subject matter, one can rightly quote the proverb, “Too much of anything is poison.” The internet is rightly the most important innovation of all time but it can remain so only as long as we do not misuse it.
Just like everything on earth, the internet too has its dark side and to speak the truth, the dark side of the internet is darker than we think. The hackers, the pornographic content, the crimes, and evrything else dangerous make the internet worthy of hatred but it does have its undeniably positive aspects.
When a click can save us tons of hard work and days of time, we are hard-driven to ruin it all for our next generation. The advantages and disadvantages of the internet for students or adults depend only on the way it is used.
