Pros and Cons of using Internet
MM Hasan Tushar
From its emergence in the public domain, internet has been playing a golden role in improving the process of globalisation. Since internet is the quickest and most effective way to connect globally, an increasing trend of using internet by the people across the globe is outright visible. It is the easiest and most accessible way to communicate to almost all corners of our planet.
In todays world, the global percentage of people having an Internet connection is increasing as Internet is becoming an essential part of our daily life. The number of Internet users has increased tenfold from 1999 to 2013.
Advantages of internet
Internet is playing a significant role in every aspect of our daily life. Unlike traditional mailing services that takes a lot of time to reach the expected receiver, the e-mail services allows the casual and official messages to reach instantly anywhere in the world. Internet users are maintaining their international trade and economic relationships mostly by exchanging e-mails.
A crucial advantage of using internet is the access to a wide range of information. Many colleges and universities run their academic programmes using online internet services. One of the benefits of online learning is that people from countries like Bangladesh can gain knowledge on different subjects and complete courses from universities that are operating beyond their borders in China, England, Germany etc. Students can attend online classes to complete their educational process and they can use online libraries to complete their academic research.
In business sector, the role of internet is enormous. The emergence of the electronic commerce or e-commerce business method has made it easier for businesses to run smoothly and with lesser expenditures. This would not have been possible without the courtesy of internet. E-commerce business method allows business organisations and consumers to electronically exchange goods and services with no barriers of time and distance.
Thus, the importance of using internet appears undeniable.
Drawbacks of internet use
Besides the advantages of using the internet, there are drawbacks too. Because of the lack of awareness, many internet users are unwilling to read the privacy policy of the websites. Hence, they remain completely unknown about the terms and conditions of using these websites, opening the possibilities of legal actions in case of the unintended breach of those terms and conditions.
On the other hand, many users abuse the use of internet by providing incorrect personal data and by imitating another person during the time of creating an account in the social media networks. These incorrect data become the source of harm to another persons personal image or the source of crime.
Internet in Bangladesh
Gladly, the number of internet users in Bangladesh has now crossed approximately six crore. Many opportunities have emerged for Bangladesh with the courtesy of internet access. Opportunities to work in new fields have opened for the country. For instance, the idea of online shopping is a relatively new in Bangladesh, which is allowing businesses to run with lower cost and higher consumer ambit. Online businesses are also getting the advantage of accessing a market beyond Bangladesh and into international arena.
In educational field, internet is playing a tremendous role in Bangladesh. It has become an inseparable part of study life. The use of internet allows Bangladeshi students to research on different topics, attend virtual classes and make preparations for exams. Moreover, because of the regular access to internet, Bangladeshi students are able to gain, as mentioned earlier, foreign degrees without going abroad.
In addition to the above, the government has taken many steps to ensure the computer related education and it became one of the compulsory subjects for the students of Bangladesh.
Government has enacted various laws to prevent the crimes that are committed using internet. The Information and Communication Technology Act, 2006 (As amended in 2009), guaranteed that the cyber related offences will be punishable with maximum 10 years imprisonment (with or without fine). Cyber Crimes Act 2010 also deals with the issues of cyber related crimes.
If these laws are properly implemented, Bangladesh will be able to take full advantage from the use of internet without any obstacles and, thus, will be able to maintain the continuous process of the countrys educational, social and economic development.
