The Internet's Role in the Communication Revolution

The Internet's Role in the Communication Revolution

When was the first time you used a computer? When was the first time you used the Internet? While the Internet has existed in some form or another for ten to twenty years, the Internet as we know it is only six to seven years old; most of the people who use it today had no clue it even existed less than a decade ago. Yet now the Internet has become an integral part of our daily lives. Many Americans cannot imagine life without a personal computer at home, much less at work. The Internet has led some people to become addicted to surfing the World Wide Web; these "Internet junkies" shun their outside lives in favor of sitting in front of a computer screen ten or twenty hours a day. While these people are the exception, rather than the rule, a large number of people cannot go through a day without checking their e-mail inbox at least a couple of times. The thought is spending a week "off-line" fills many with unease and fear. We have come to rely on computers and the Internet to keep us connected with each other, more so than telephones or television. The Internet has caused a communication revolution, and as such has the power to change society and our roles in it.

While the Internet has in various ways assumed the roles of library, telephone, stockbroker, and local mall, many people are worried about the level of security offered by those who control the Internet. This position paper will be focused on three articles—two from Time Magazine, and one from Rolling Stone. These articles offer differing views of the strengths and weaknesses of the Internet; Toulmin's informal method of logic will be used to analyze these outlooks to determine their overall validit...

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...ture of the past, present, and future begins to emerge. Choppy events in our lives become one smooth, full discourse, and many tentative theories can be proved or disproved once we look at the big picture. It is important to focus on the changing world around us, and to be certain that we understand it completely. For this reason, it is also important to be thoughtful, attentive readers; we need to be able to separate facts from opinions and solid ideas from weak ones. This will enable us to better comprehend all aspects of life and make our own decisions based on accurate, lucid information.

Bibliography:

Elmer-DeWitt, Philip. "Terror on the Internet." Time 12 Dec. 1994.

Goodell, Jeff. "Who Needs Privacy?" Rolling Stone March 2000.

Ramo, Joshua Cooper. "Introduction: Why the Founder of Amazon.com is Our Choice for 1999." Time December 1999.