Some of the Advantages of the Internet

The internet has been the most important technological development over the last couple of decades. Twenty years ago it was hardly used at all and was not much more than an idea. Now it is used regularly by billions of people around the world.

There are many advantages of the internet, with some of the main ones below.

Communication

Since the popularisation of the internet, communication has changed. There are now so many different ways that people can communicate with each other using the internet. Email is the most widely used of these. It is effectively a way of sending a letter that arrives at its destination within seconds of being sent. Another advantage of email is that other things can be sent with it as attachments, for example pictures, videos and other documents. Instant messaging is another form of communication over the internet. There are a wide range of programs that can be used to send messages to other people via text, and they can see these immediately and reply if they wish. It means people can have a text conversation over the internet. VoIP is a form of internet communication that has been growing in popularity. This is a voice system where the internet is used rather than a telephone line. This is generally cheaper than using a telephone.

Shopping

Most online retailers now have online shopping facilities so customers can purchase products online. There are many advantages to this. People don’t have to leave home to shop, which not only saves on time but also on fuel and parking costs or public transport costs. It often means being able to purchase things not available in the shops or not available locally. Sometimes items can be cheaper online and it is easier to compare prices between different retailers.

Information & Research

This is something the internet has fundamentally changed. If somebody needs to find some information about anything quickly then they can usually find it online. This may have taken extensive research before but can now be done in a matter of minutes or even seconds.

Television

It is now possible to watch television online, with many channels having online equivalents. This means being able to watch live online or watch on demand, thus allowing people to watch programs they have missed. Sometimes programmes are available online that aren’t shown on television. Much of this also applies to radio.

Internet Banking

The advancement of internet banking means people don’t need to visit the bank in person every time they want to transfer funds to another account or make a credit card payment. This is especially useful for those who work the same hours as bank opening times.

News

With the internet it is easy to find the latest news. Unlike a newspaper which is written once a day, you can find out about news instantaneously. Using the internet also allows people to find out about worldwide news that may not be reported on the news in their own country.

Andrew Marshall (c)