Extolling the beauty of the Internet but…
The Internet, the World Wide Web (www) is a modern phenomenon that has fascinated and is revolutionizing the world. It has been made available to the consumers through the use of computers, smart phones and tablets. This is not an advertisement for any Internet company. It has made communication easy with e-mail addresses being offered by Hotmail, Yahoo, Gmail among others, free of cost, to who ever desires. The revolution in this area has caused the near demise of the post office and letters by mail.{{more}}
Almost any topic can be found on the Internet and it has been particularly useful as a tool to students in any educational progamme. There are powerful search engines such as Google and Yahoo among others, which make the search for information possible. Universities offer online courses, so that anyone who has the qualifications and money could earn a degree from the comfort of their home. Some of these universities have their online libraries, which provide for their students. Vincentians know the hassle of studying abroad. It is hoped that one day, all subject areas would be opened for our students and we would not have to wrench ourselves away from our families for a university education. The Internet also makes entertainment and online shopping available to all.
Without the Internet, I know that this column would not have been possible. Information not available some 20 years ago is now at our fingertips, but not all information is free and there is a cost on some websites. Nonetheless, there is sufficient to keep us informed of the world in which we live.
The Internet has facilitated social networking with its vast capability. It has given birth to the electronic social media websites such as Facebook, Myspace, Instagram, Twitter among others with links to friends, families and professionals.
Facebook is one of the favorite social networks. It boasts of a billion subscribers. It came into being in the dorm room of some Harvard university students and was restricted to use at that university, but today, it may be used by anyone who is 13 years old and over. Facebook is so constructed that its subscribers could set up profiles and post pictures of themselves, their families and events in their lives so that their friends and family could be kept up to date with their activities. This is a novel way of interacting with friends and family. It is different to the old fashion way of communicating via letter or telephone and e-mail. The down side of this is that one cannot always be sure who would be looking at your life in pictures. You may not always want your employer or prospective employer to know about your life. Access is based on whether a person wants his or her information to be private or public. However, you must be aware that your information could be reached by anyone if it is public.
You also need to know that information on the Internet cannot be easily destroyed. You must also know that you cannot state information about another person that is false, otherwise you would be answerable for the same, because that person has been defamed.
If anyone is defamed by what you write, you might have to deal with a lawsuit.
Ada Johnson is a solicitor and barrister-at-law.
E-mail address is: exploringthelaw@yahoo.com
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