words Al Woods
The internet is an incredible tool that has been helping mankind in countless ways ever since it was invented. With being an important communication tool for DARPA since its origins to being the standard household service available to more than half of the population.
The internet has been through quite an exhilarating journey of half a century. Being developed back in the 60s and restricted to high-profile governmental departments and universities, the internet trekked quite a tumultuous path to reach the general public. This journey was a 30-year long one, all the way from the 60s to 90s when finally the internet became commercialized and there was infrastructure and technology in place to transmit it to an average user.
However, only because it was able to reach an average user, didn’t mean everybody had it. Because during the early stages of commercialization the internet was costly and not everyone had the means to get it. It further took a decade for the internet to improve the infrastructure and bring down the cost even further so that it was accessible to the masses.
Now not only has the internet footprint increased, but it is also available at a very meager cost. In fact, customers can even conduct a wifi speed test nowadays to check that they are receiving the speeds and quality of connection that they pay for. Today the internet is quite economical even for high-speed tiers. Companies like Spectrum, Xfinity, At&t, and Cox are offering quite affordable plans. Especially Cox internet plans stand out in terms of their price and flexibility. So the increased coverage area and economical pricing are a reason why the internet is so widely used, but that’s not all.
Today the internet is so deeply rooted in our society that it almost seems impossible to lead a successful life without a connection from one of the numerous internet providers out there. That’s because all the major sectors including corporate, business, education, communication, health and medical, and entertainment fields are all majorly dependent on the internet.
Internet is a super flexible technology that has not only modernized these existing avenues but has acted as a catalyst in every new technology and gadget that has come after it. That is why we see that every new smartphone, smartwatch, smart TV, and even smart fridges are coming with internet functionality. This is truly a testament that we are living in the age of the internet of things in which the internet has transformed into a physical state through these gadgets.
Internet and the Pandemic
Even though after witnessing such a helpful nature of the internet which has been assisting humans in many fields of life, some people still considered this technology a luxury, and in some cases outright waste of money. Although the internet is cheap and easily accessible still there was a section of society that wasn’t willing to accept this technological marvel, calling it a modernized façade of chaos. However, all these people realized the immense potential of the internet the hard way, due to the pandemic.
After the pandemic when mobility was severely restricted and people were locked in their houses, it was only through the internet that some form of normalcy was maintained. As people started using the internet for work, business, education, and entertainment needs from the safety of their houses.
Plus internet also became the main source of communication among people, no matter if this communication was with someone a block away or on another continent. Considering this widespread appeal of the internet the governments around the world also the immense potential of the internet and they started encouraging users to get an internet connection by offering grants and financial aid so people can remain subscribed to the internet and continue their financial and educational activities. This move saw the usage of the internet skyrocket as people who despised it were the first ones to get new connections and became avid users within a span of a couple of years. This is how the internet became the lifeline for humanity in our desperate times.
Benefits of the Internet in Different Fields
As we already have discussed how the internet transformed to become an essential service. Here we will discuss the role internet played in major fields that earned it this status.
Internet in Communication
Communication is a field that the internet has aced. At the moment it is the most sophisticated, efficient, and cost-effective medium of communication. This also makes sense as it was something that was made for communication purposes in the first place. As the internet was made for communication purposes it had to prove its mettle in this field to progress, and it did that perfectly.
Today internet is the major source of video and voice communication, plus it is also a medium of news and social media which not only keeps users aware of their surroundings but also gives the ability for any internet user to put their word in front of the whole world.
Internet in Work and Business
The internet is also the backbone of the whole corporate sector, as most of the office work is done over the internet. Not only this but after the pandemic, the complete work from the home system was internet-based as workers were connected with their upper management over the internet and all the meetings were conducted on video calls. Plus businesses were already using the internet for quite some time to perform e-commerce activities.
Ecommerce was already a very huge field but it was further boosted during the pandemic when shops and malls were closed and people preferred to shop online. Thus due to these reasons, the internet has also gained an essential status on the professional front.
Internet in Education
The internet played a huge role in bridging distances and providing quality education to people in farfetched lands. Remote learning programs are run on the internet where people are provided with tuitions and study materials in their houses over the web. Through these courses, anyone can learn a skill and can get a certification as long as they have an internet connection. Not only this but in the pandemic the whole education system was online and students used to take classes through video conferencing. As schools were closed, this was the best way for the education cycle to continue and even exams were taken online through these means.
Final Thoughts
We have already discussed the number of benefits the internet provided us in different fields of life, some of which we have discussed above. These benefits are enough to consider the internet an essential service and it wouldn’t be wrong to consider it necessary for our survival ever since the pandemic.
