Advantages and Disadvantages Of Internet For Research Purposes Information

Technology

The Internet is a very powerful worldwide instrument, which serves as a good source
for research work and learning. It generates current information, facts-finding, and is the
most outstanding invention in the area of communication in the history of human race.The
Internet has been very useful to mankind in the aspect of learning and research
development. In due course, this essay emphasizes on details of advantages and
disadvantages of the Internet in relation to research work.

Advantages:

Easy Communication:

The Internet eases of communication to the researchers; because it serves as a

guidance and original source of information. It is very easy to access and at the same time
saves time thereby allowing an individual to manager his/her resources better and
effectively. Additionally, the Internet is very convenient because an individual can easily
carry out a research work at home with much comfort and convenience. The internet is a
valuable search tool and has been informative for academic research, as it helps
significantly to improve research skills, and makes learning visual and easy to follow. [1]

Comparatively Inexpensive and Quick Dispersion of Information:

The Internet creates a comparatively inexpensive avenue for releasing information

and articles. Subsequently, several organizations and individuals can now circulate
information to millions of users. In due course, researchers could assess and make use of
this circulated information and articles for their work, thereby giving them a broader idea and
knowledge in their work.

Additionally, there is a spontaneous dispersion of information to various users of the

internet when such information is being added to a web site. As regards this, millions of
users including researchers would browse through these information and subsequently use
them for their work. Hence the web is then regarded as a paragon medium for disseminating
information because it removes the time wasting in between publishing content and making
it available to users.
Wealth of Information:

Furthermore, the Internet is a wealth of information and very advantageous in various

reasons; students delve into the Internet to gather lots of very useful academic information
for research purposes; and the information contained on the Internet can be useful for
academic research. It is a potential research tool and opens up a new and comprehensive
source of information.

In another development, information is probably the biggest advantage internet is

offering to the users. The Internet is an apparent treasure trove of information. Any kind of
information on any topic under the sun is available on the Internet.

Sending E-mail Messages and Receiving Feedbacks:

With the help of the Internet the user could send e-mails to colleagues, friends, co-
workers etc, either to get more information from them or pass on the acquired information to
them. In view of this the Internet could be regarded as a powerful content publishing tool
because there are some application software embedded in the Internet that enable such
transmission and transfer of information from one user to another. Consequently, these
applications will allow and assist the researcher to develop content for the World Wide Web
by simply saving as an HTML file.

Disadvantages:

Having discussed the advantages of the Internet for academic research it is worthy to
mention some of its disadvantages. One of the disadvantages of the Internet is that it
provides a huge amount of information thereby causing information overload. In due course,
one can easily get confused with this infinite amount of titles, texts and abstracts. And
because of the overwhelming information available on the Internet, one must be cautious
about information obtained.

Ziltrain points out that, an access provider with much less emphasis on specific
content and services, retaining customers will becme harder and this will adversely affect the
system’s utility for others.
 There are no standards, that is, no process to check information accurately. Most
information in the Internet does not go through a review process. Anyone can publish on the
web, without passing the content through an editor. Pages might be written by an expert on
the topic, or even a child, or a disgruntled contributor. Therefore, getting information from
book or from various other printed sources in the library can guarantee that it is of high
standard and peer reviewed.

Additionally, it can be observed that with a large amount of information freely

available on the internet, theft of personal information and misuse of this information is in
abundance. In this regard from time to time people use someone’s information and research
materials and pass it off as their own work. Also, Spamming, which is the process of sending
unwanted or junk e-mails in bulk, which provide no purpose and consequently hinder the
entire system. This in due course is regarded as an illegal activity resulting to frustrate
people. As regards this, a researcher could check his e-mail to obtain some materials for his
work; only to get disappointed when noticed that the e-mail was a junk. The issue of
spamming extends to commercial advertising, frequently for dubious products, get-rich-
quick, or semi-legal services. In due course spamming costs less to the sender but more to
the receiver. In any case, spam can be prevented or stopped by installing spam filter
software such as Mailwasher, McAfee anti-spam software, as well as firewall.

Furthermore, another disadvantage of the Internet is virus threat. In this regard, Virus
is a program that interrupts the normal functioning of the computer systems. Computers that
are attached to internet are more likely to be attacked by virus. In due course, this attack
could result to hard disk crashing, thereby causing a big disaster on the computer. On the
other hand, some unprincipled individuals have been successful in creating viruses and links
that once clicked can automatically transmit ones personal e-mail addresses and other
details to certain parties and even the person’s bank account details in some extreme cases.

Additionally, another disadvantage of the Internet for academic research is that, it is

not arranged according to system and no index format. Information on the Internet is not
organised; for example too many web pages for any single directory services and fees are
often charged for access to specialised information.

Hence, Robling indicates that focusing strictly on tight access controls, whether
through strict limitations on the number of users or through the imposition of ‘per access’
fees that could effectively exclude the majority of users, for example students who cannot
afford it, without considering the purposes of education and research.
Conclusion:

In conclusion, irrespective of the fact that the Internet has some numerous
disadvantages, it can be understood that it is still very useful to mankind as in helps in
medical research works and subsequent inventions, as well as produce some good
interactive entertainment and multimedia. Hence, man needs the Internet to keep life going.
Man asserts that, the Internet is considered not simply as a technological tool, but as a
wholly new constructed environment with its own codes of practice.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Internet

Ten years ago, the Internet was practically unheard of by most people. Today, the
Internet is one of the most powerful tools throughout the world. The Internet is a collection of
various services and resources. The Internet’s main components are E-mail and the World
Wide Web. Actually, there’s a lot more to the Internet than E-mail, search engines, celebrity
web sites, up-to-the-second sports scores, and chat rooms full of discussions. The Net also
ranks as one of today’s best business tools. Almost all households contain the Internet;
however, before people connect to the Internet, they need to be aware of its disadvantages
and advantages.

Many people fear the Internet because of its disadvantages. They claim to not use
the Internet because they are afraid of the possible consequences or are simply not
interested. People who have yet connected to the Internet claim they are not missing
anything. Today’s technological society must realize that it is up to them to protect
themselves on the Internet.

Children using the Internet have become a big concern. Most parents do not realize
the dangers involved when their children connect to the Internet. When children are online,
they can easily be lured into something dangerous. For example, children may receive
pornography online by mistake; therefore, causing concern among parents everywhere.
Whether surfing the Web, reading newsgroups, or using email, children can be exposed to
extremely inappropriate material. To keep children safe, parents and teachers must be
aware of the dangers. They must actively guide and guard their children online. There are a
number of tools available today that may help keep the Internet environment safer for
children.

Musicians are also concerned with disadvantages to the Net such as, accessibility
and freedom. They are upset because the Internet provides their music online at no charge
to consumers. File-sharing services, such as Napster, provide copyrighted songs to all
Internet users. The main concern is the music is free! Musicians feel they are not getting
paid for their work. Because of Napster, it is almost impossible to close down all file-sharing
services because there are too many of them to count.
 Another major disadvantage of the Internet is privacy. Electronic messages sent over
the Internet can be easily tracked, revealing who is talking to whom and what they are
talking about. As people surf the Internet, they are constantly giving information to web sites.
People should become aware that the collection, selling, or sharing of the information they
provide online increases the chances that their information will fall into the wrong hands.
When giving personal information on the Internet, people should make sure the Web site is
protected with a recognizable security symbol. On the other hand, this does not mean they
are fully protected because anyone may obtain a user’s information. In other words, the most
common Internet crimes are frauds.

Today, not only humans getting viruses, but computers are also. Computers are
mainly getting these viruses from the Internet, yet viruses may also be transferred through
floppy disks. However, people should mainly be concerned about receiving viruses from the
Internet. Some of these dangerous viruses destroy the computer’s entire hard drive,
meaning that the user can no longer access the computer. Virus protection is highly
recommended.

Despite all of the terrible disadvantages of the Internet, there are numerous
advantages. In fact, the advantages weigh out the disadvantages. The most common thing
the Internet is used for is research. Children and students are among the top people who
use the Internet for research. Nowadays, it is almost required that students use the Internet
for research. The Internet has become one of the biggest sources for research. Almost
everyday, research on medical issues becomes easier to locate. Web sites have become
available for people to research diseases and talk to doctors online at sites such as,
America’s Doctor.

Entertainment is another popular reason why many people surf the Internet.
Downloading games, going into chat rooms or just surfing the Web are some of the uses
people have discovered. There are numerous games that may be downloaded from the
Internet at no charge. Chat rooms are popular because users can meet new and interesting
people. In fact, the Internet has been used by people to find life long partners. When people
surf the Web, there are numerous things that can be found. Music, hobbies, news and more
can be found on the Internet.
 Another popular thing to do on the Internet is to check out the news. Almost all local
news can be obtained through the Internet. Up to date sports scores are probably the most
popular looked at news. Sports scores are updated on the Internet as soon as the game
ends. Weather is also a popular source to look up on the Internet. Using the Internet to get
the weather allows people to view weather all over the world. Live radar all over the country
and local forecasts are just to name a few of the things that may be obtained for weather
information on the Internet.

Shopping online has also become a huge success and is considered a great
advantage of the Internet. No matter what people are shopping for, it can be found on the
Internet. People do not even have to leave their homes. A few companies have collected
millions of dollars using the Internet for selling. Clothing is probably one of the most bought
items online. Almost every major clothing store has its on Web site. In fact, In US, people
can even go grocery shopping online using such sites as Priceline.com. Just one click of the
mouse on the items they want to purchase and the items are delivered to their front door.
Unfortunately, this kind of service is not yet available in Malaysia for the time being.
Groceries and clothing are only a few of the items that may be bought on the Internet.

In conclusion, today’s society is in the middle of a technological boom. People can

either choose to take advantage of this era, or simply let it pass them by. The Internet is a
very powerful tool. It has many advantages; however, people need to be extremely aware of
the disadvantages as well.
Advantages and Disadvantages of Internet

The most popular and innovative creation in the world of technology is the Internet.
The internet is the place where all kinds of information is present and even the
communication process is possible using the internet. The world has now become internet
dependent because of its vast advantages.

What are the Advantages of Internet?

Communication:

The main advantage of internet is the faster communication than any other devices. It’s an
instant process. Communication in the form of video calls, emails etc. is possible using
internet. Thus, there is no specific region that can be accessed. It is accessible all over the
world. Hence, because of this global issues are reduced since video conferencing is possible
where everyone across the world can be in single place and can solve out a problem.

Information:

The internet is the source of knowledge. All kinds of information is present in it. it is easily
accessed and can be searched more to get more additional knowledge. Information like
educational related, government laws, market sales, stocks and shares, new creations etc. is
gathered from a single place.

Learning:

The internet has now become a part of education. Education like home schooling is easily
carried out using internet. Teachers can upload their teaching videos in the internet and is
accessed by people across the world which is helpful for all students. The marks are also
released in the internet since, releasing mark for the whole institution in notice boards will
create chaos.

Entertainment:

The internet is now the most popular form of entertainment. Movies, songs, videos, games
etc. is available in internet for free. Social networking is also possible using internet. Hence,
there is tons of entertainment that is available in online in the internet.
Social network:

The social networking is the sharing of information to people across the world. Apart from
being an entertainment website, it has many uses. Any job vacancy, emergency news, ideas
etc. can be shared in the website and the information gets passed on quickly to wide area.
Also the social networking websites are used to easy communications. Example: Facebook
and twitter.

E-commerce:

All business deals can be carried in the internet like transaction of money etc. this is called E
commerce. Online reservations, online ticket booking for movie etc. can be done easily. It
saves us lots of time. Online shopping is now the latest trend in internet world where
products from dresses to household furniture is available at door step.

What are the Disadvantages of Internet?

Information loss:

The information crucial to us or any important files can be easily taken by the hackers. There
is no exact proof for the security for the details we store like account number, passwords etc.
hence, sensitive information must be carefully stored by the people.

Spam:

The unnecessary emails, advertisements etc. sometimes are said to be spam because they
have the ability to slow down the system and makes the users to face lots of problems.
Spam makes the people get more confused since important emails are also stored along
with spam.

Virus attacks:

The malware or virus threats are so deadly that affects the system to a greater extend. It
immediately deletes all important files and finally the system ends up being crashed. The
virus attack is possible in three ways. One it attacks selected files. Two, it harms the
executable boot files and most dangerous of all is the macro virus which has the ability to
replicate and expand to all parts of files.
Virtual world:

The people using internet often will forget the difference between virtual and real world. This
causes the people to get depressed quickly and it leads to social isolation and obesity
problems. The obesity is due to the lack of any physical exercises. So its better to play
outdoor rather in the internet.
 Internet

The Internet has been perhaps the most popular and outstanding innovative
invention in the field of communication in the history of humanity. The Internet is a global
meeting place where people from all parts of the world can communicate with each other.
The Internet is also a collection of various services and resources. Therefore, there is no
doubt that Internet has made our life become more convenient. Nowadays, almost all people
own the Internet at their house. Although the Internet is widely used in the homes, the
Internet has its own advantages and disadvantages.

One of the advantage of the Internet is it provide easy and fast communication. The
Internet is very easy to access and at the same time saves time which allowing an individual
to manager his or her resources better and effectively. Communication in the form of email
and video is possible using internet. It can allow a person to communicate with people in
virtually any parts of the world through the e-mail, without having to leave his room. E-mail is
used by all companies in business. The convenience of e-mail has contribute to the expand
of businesses as it help the companies to communicate with their vendors and customers
located all over the world in records times. E-mail also make the personal communication
become easier. Chat rooms and video conferencing are some of the latest additions in this
technology. These additions have allowed peoples to chat in real time. Furthermore, there
are a lot of messengers services provided. With the help of these services, a kind of global
friendship can be establish easily where you can share your opinions and explore other
people’s cultures.

Next, the Internet is the wealth and virtual treasures trove of information. It is the
source of knowledge because all kinds of information on any topic is available on the
Internet. The search engines such as Google, Yahoo and Bing are at your service through
the Internet. The Internet is easily accessed and more additional knowledge can be obtained
through more searching. Information like educational related, government laws and services,
market sales, stocks and shares, new creations, trade fairs and conferences and technical
support is gathered from a single place. Thus, the Internet is used for research. Students are
among the top people who access the Internet for research purpose because nowadays,
almost all the coursework in the school required students to delve into the Internet to gather
a lot of useful academic information for research purposes.
 However, for all its positive aspects, the Internet also has its dark and bad side too.
One of the disadvantage of the Internet is virus threat. In this regard, virus is a program that
interrupts the normal functioning of the computer systems. Computers that are attached to
internet are more likely to be attacked by virus. This attack could result to hard disk crashing
which means that the user can no longer access the computer. There are various possible
ways of virus attack. Firstly, it attacks selected files. Besides that, it may harm the
executable boot files and the most critical of all is the macro virus which has the ability to
replicate and expand to all parts of files. On the other hand, some irresponsible individuals
have been successful in creating viruses and links that can automatically transmit ones
personal e-mail addresses and other details to certain parties and even the person’s bank
account details in some extreme cases through a simple click. Hence, the idea of installing
virus protection program in the computer is highly recommended.

In conclusion, it is disregarding of the fact that the Internet has numerous

disadvantages but it still can be understood that it is still very useful to mankind as it helps a
lot in our daily lives as well as produce some good interactive entertainment and multimedia.
Thus, the Internet is considered as one of the important needs by mankind to keep life going.
The Internet is not simply a technological tool but function as a wholly new constructed
environment with its own codes of practice. We should be able to think rasionally and use
the Internet in the right way.
Reference

https://heron121.wordpress.com/advantages-and-disadvantages-of-the-internet-essay-1/

https://www.ukessays.com/essays/information-technology/advantages-disadvantages-of-
internet-for-research-purposes-information-technology-essay.php

https://www.advantages-disadvantages.co/internet/