2. The Internet has come to embody the wide spectrum of
interests, faiths, beliefs, ideas, and knowledge for
human beings across the globe. First an experiment by
techno wizards and computer geeks, the Internet has
grown so enormously in the last two decades, with
email addresses and web urls increasingly mentioned in
daily conversation. The Internet in its incubation and
formative years, was loudly touted as the first 'free
medium' of communication, free of the censures,
dictates, conformities, and restrictions of other
mediums of expression, that have become entrenched in
tradition.
3. One of the greatest assets of the web is its multimedia
presentation capabilities where information once solely
relegated to separate modes of expression, via print,
artwork, movie, video, and face-to-face conversations,
are all readily available and accessible through one
medium: the Internet. With such versatility, it is no
wonder that the Internet has grown in popularity in
leaps and bounds, with even famous multimedia giants
in the entertainment industry such as the famous
Hollywood filmmaker Steven Spielberg being quoted as
saying: "I think that the Internet is going to effect the
most profound change on the entertainment industries
combined. And we're all gonna be tuning into the most
4. popular Internet show in the world, which will be
coming from some place in Des Moines.
5. We're all going to lose our jobs. We're all gonna be on
the Internet trying to find an audience." A question
frequently posed by both visitors and web hosts alike, is
has the internet simplified our lives? The answer is more
complex than it would appear.
6. Shopping or browsing for more information on virtually
any topic, has becoming incredibly convenient via the
Internet. Whole libraries and books of information, once
only accessible via print copies, are now readily
available on the Internet, and downloadable to the
desktop of your computer.
7. Internet technology has spawned a whole new
generation of technology, hardware, and software with
PDAs,MP3 players, streaming audio and video files,
gaming software, eBay auctions, and so much more,
now accessible via the click of a mouse. With
information available on any topic now via the Internet,
the potential for human communication, connection,
and development has far surpassed any other form of
media.
8. A child growing up in this era of change, is more likely to
know the name of the website of his or her favorite
singer than the name of classic children's story tales.
This and other "free accessibility" features are of
concern to many parents who fear that the high
prevalence of pornography, scams, and advertising on
the Internet, will unduly affect the moral character of
their children. The Internet is thus being 'reamed in' or
questioned for parental controls and creation of
'restricted site access' to prevent such accessibility and
its after-effects upon children.