THE INTERNET IS A DRIVING FORCE FOR CHANGE?

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Read the text.

Provide definitions for the words in bold type.

Computers may never offer a perfect system for work and communications. Yet, in spite
of the bugs that need to be worked out, there is no question that computers now shape the
pattern of our activities. Almost everyone has felt the tremors of change as the Internet has
revolutionized the way we do things: from the way we run our daily errands to the way we relate
to other human beings.

With the Internet, we can now get to information, products, and friends more quickly.
With a few clicks of the mouse, we can do research on specific subjects that might have taken
hours or days in a library. With online shopping, we can purchase what we need more quickly
and efficiently; we can now deal with retailers over the Internet instead of waiting in lines at
shopping malls. With e-mail, we can maintain friendships as well as create new ones, without
ever sitting down to write or post a letter. The Internet now binds more people around the world
together through their common interests. For example, many people participate in Internet
“chats.” These are informal discussions in which people type their questions and answers to each
other on the computer. There is very little delay in the “conversation.” And unlike spoken
conversations, “chats” can involve hundreds of people—all of whom are interested in the topic
being discussed. Some Internet discussions lead to more than typing. According to a Rutgers
University study, more than 1 million people have had online correspondences that have led to
face-to-face relationships. The Internet has literally created a new kind of social life.

But not everyone feels the Internet is improving our lives. The Web is messy in that it
cannot always provide clear directions on how7 to get where we want to go. The hyperlinks that
exist among different Web sites often send people on a trip to nowhere or somewhere totally
unexpected. The Web is not an organized database; rather it is a briar patch, where people can
get stuck or lost.

Online shopping is an example of this mess. Although shopping from home is appealing,
e-commerce is not always as convenient as one might think.

Sometimes it takes a long time to order on the Internet. People can waste time or get
confused filling out information on all the different screens to place an order. In fact, anywhere
from 33 to 75 percent (depending on whose statistics you use) of people who shop online drop
out before ever placing their order.

Most importantly, many people are concerned about privacy issues. They are reluctant to
put their personal information on the Web. Filling in information such as ones name, address,
phone number, and credit card information can shake the confidence of an online shopper.
Some even fear that there is a conspiracy among businesses to use consumer information for
their own benefit.

Perhaps even more troubling is the belief that as people spend more time surfing the
Web, they are becoming socially isolated. A recent survey indicated that 16 percent of Internet
users spend less time with family and friends. The amount of time a husband or wife spend on
the Web is frequently cited as one cause for divorce. Many young people say that their closest
friends are those they have corresponded with on the Internet, that is, their closest friends are
people they have never even met. Whether the Internet will continue to be a driving force for
change is still unknown; and whether the effects of the Internet on our lives will be more positive
or negative is still debatable.

Bugs- a fault in a machine, especially in a computer system or program

Shape - shape somebody/something to have an important influence on the way that

somebody/something develops

Tremors - a slight shaking movement in a part of your body

Binds - to make people, organizations, etc. feel united so that they live or work together more
happily or effectively

Literally - in a literal way, SYNONYM exactly

Database - an organized set of data that is stored in a computer and can be looked at and used in
various ways

Messy – chaotic, disorderly

Hyperlinks - a place in an electronic document that is connected to another electronic document

or to another part of the same document

Shake the confidence - to make someone feel less confident, less sure about their beliefs etc

Conspiracy - a secret plan by a group of people to do something harmful or illegal