In chapter five of Amusing Ourselves to Death, Postman refers to this connectivity in the world as a global village. I find this connection with other parts of the world to be a very good factor of the internet. For instance, with us being on the west coast, we can communicate with someone on the east coast without having to go through the hassle of getting there (dealing with airplane rides, long car rides, etc..). This can also be useful when countries communicate. The fault of missing the messenger is less likely to happen now because the internet doesn't require countries to send one on a horse for days to ride to another country to deliver information. This can prevent many problems from arousing, one being the beginning of a war.
So no matter how many bad things are said about the internet, it's undeniably a very convenient tool in today's world.
I agree with your opinion on the internet being a very convenient tool in today's world, especially in business. Today, people can make conference calls all over the world to do business. They avoid the troubles of travel by the push of a button that can connect them thousands of miles away.
ReplyDeleteDespite it's convenience, Postman makes an interesting point with the invention of the telegraph. With all the information the telegraph collects and provides, just like the internet, it's not explained or analyzed. Before the internet, we read books for knowledge. Now we know lots of things thanks to the internet, but not much about them.