Can you even visualize a world without the internet? I’m sure my grandparents can, but I can’t. Ever since the pandemic, I’ve been working from home which has increased my reliance on the internet tenfold. I’ve even got the Cox customer service number on speed dial in case I need to upgrade my plan or get assisted ASAP if anything goes wrong.
Post-Covid, more and more people are relying on the internet for their work, studies, and even socializing. But this level of reliance on the internet can come with its own set of risks. Sure, the internet is a great place to get information and communicate which can make life a lot easier. But there’s also a dark side to the vast world of the internet.
In this article, we’ll be exploring some of the reasons why you need to be cautious and careful about what you view online.
1: Malicious Softwares
First on our list is definitely malicious malware. These are the pesky little viruses that can latch onto your system if you ever download something online, especially through an ad.
In the modern world, the internet is widely available to everyone. Unfortunately, this list also includes cybercriminals. They can target a much wider audience through the use of ransomware, malware, spyware, viruses, etc.
The issue with cybercrime is that you can never really stop it. There are more advanced versions of anti-virus and firewall software coming out every day but it’s only good till the hackers figure out a way around it. The safest bet is to always be cautious about what you download over the internet. If you want free software, then conduct thorough research by reading its reviews and ratings before downloading it.
Also, whenever your firewall warns you of a shady website. Listen to it. They’re there for a reason.
2: Adult Content
Now, this is a touchy subject, but a very important one nonetheless. More and more parents are expressing concern about the kind of content their children have access to online. This ranges from pornography to violence-driven video games and films.
Porn addiction has led to serious concerns within young teenagers’ behaviors. Considering some of these statistics, over 11,000 pornographic content and material is released yearly in the United States, which is all available to younger audiences over the internet. A recent survey has stated that 87% of university students have had sex over webcams or phones.
There are apps out there to help you manage how your children are using the internet. There are a variety of parental control apps that should be used to monitor your child’s internet activity. The internet can be a great place of learning for young minds, but it can also lead them astray if not properly managed.
3: Ads, Ads, Ads Everywhere!
Ah, there was a time when websites would be free of ads and would offer their users a means for communication, entertainment, news, and even knowledge for learning. But times have changed, and so have online websites.
In the modern world, if you ever come across a free website or service, then you’re not the customer, you’re the product. Our data is collected online through various websites including the social media giants, which are then sold to data collectors for personalized ads.
Ever see an ad for leather shoes on Facebook when you were just talking to your friend about it an hour ago, that’s what personalized ads look like. Scary right? If they know what kind of shoes you like, what else do they know about you?
It’s very important to be extremely careful and cautious about your digital footprint online so as not to expose yourself to any fraudulent hackers who can exploit that data to hurt you. Ever since the Senate hearings regarding the tech giants, most service providers are now bound to let their users know what their data is being used for.
4: Availability of The Internet
For most of us here in the United States, the internet is extremely accessible no matter where you are. We can even get free Wi-Fi while getting our coffee. Although the internet is looked upon as a means to connect the world with each other as one big global village. It is also not as accessible to many people as you’d think.
There are many countries in the world where less than 10% of the population has access to the internet, while many more countries have access to very low speeds of the internet. The fastest connections can be found in the United States and Japan, but a lot of other countries are failing to keep up.
This amount of disparity has caused a hole in the concept of the internet as a means to connect the entire world and a lot more needs to be done to provide internet access to many regions of the world.
