The Effects of Internet

The Social Media class presented by Mr. Stox helped us to learn that nowadays, the amount of data is almost doubling each year. To take back some facts of the presentation, every 60 seconds:

                        -YouTube users upload 48 hours of new videos

                        -The mobile web receives 217 new users

                        -Emails users send 204, 166, 667 messages

                       

Among these datas, some are our personal and sometimes even confidential informations: address, university, job, family, etc. Are we really aware of Internet’s extent? It changed the world by connecting every single person, but at what price? Certainly, it revolutionizes the world in all its forms. Internet had and still have a big influence on many aspects of our life with its accessibility, facility or rapidity. However, these qualities can be reversed. It is now easier to reach personal information as to shock people. Indeed, with Internet, we have access to things that the latest generations did not. For instance, one of the most famous murderers, Luka Rocco Magnotta (maybe you know him because he was arrested in Germany), filmed his crime and put it on Internet. Many adults, but also children, saw this video. Internet overflows with this kind of things that we did not have before. You will probably tell me that it is a choice to watch it or not, but exactly, we now have this choice. Furthermore, by publishing this kind of things, there are some impacts for the viewers who is revolted, but also for the victim and his or her family. Everything is about respect and I think that with Internet, there is less and less.

Another aspect of Internet is that it is intrusive to the point of detecting our interests. I knew that websites like Facebook was known to propose publicities linked with our activities, but I did not know that it was at this point. For instance, only 48 hours after I arrived in Belgium, Facebook had already put Belgian products publicities on my page. I think that it is really powerful to analyze our actions and adapt their marketing strategies in a short period of time.

Finally, another sign that Internet can really have consequences, not only in people’s life, but also for a society, countries have to get strategies to secure their cyberespace. If they do not, it will be easier for hackers to infiltrate some important files. Europe, in February revealed its own strategy in order to prove that it is a serious and current problem (french article):

http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2013/02/07/l-europe-devoile-sa-strategie-de-cybersecurite_1828753_651865.html 

STÉPHANIE VILLENEUVE