Are we over dependent on internet as a technology?
Hi Friends
I want to know if this is the case only with me. While I appreciate that internet as a technology has made "The World Flat" and it has changed the outlook of business, of intellectual knowledge but the question is, are we over dependent on internet?
We use internet and in particular certain search engines, example Google, day in and day out? Is this over dependency, and if it is, is it good or bad? How many days can you spend without internet in today's world?
Thank you in advance for sharing your opinions.
Good Answers (6)
Jason K
Lead Developer at AMCO
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All the "yes" responses have only made a case that we are VERY dependent on the internet - the question was whether we are OVERLY dependent on the internet.
My answer is absolutely not!
Overly dependent would mean that we are more dependent than we ought to be, or more dependent than is good for us. Many of us depend on the internet for many different things, both personally and professionally. But there's nothing wrong or bad with that dependence - ie. we are not overly dependent on it, not at all.
I like the internet as much as the next guy - but let's keep it in perspective. Other posters have suggested it's on the same level as electricity or water. Excuse me, but that's totally absurd!
Cutting off the water would put all city dwellers' lives in mortal peril. You wouldn't be able to work because your day would be spent fetching or distilling the water you need to survive for the day (or digging a well/bore).
Likewise with the other "essential services" that have been mentioned. Without power you'd spend your day fetching ice for your icebox. Without sewage you'd spend the next few weeks digging holes in your backyard until the extremely overworked tank-installer got around to putting your tank in!
Maybe mine is a perspective that lived a very full life before the internet ever existed, and perhaps the younger people can't imagine what it was like - but it really wasn't fundamentally different to how we live now.
Clarification added April 30, 2008:
I forgot to answer the other question: how many days can I spend without internet in today's world? The internet is a core part of my chosen career and it would be a huge adjustment in my standard of living to do without it. That having been said - when I go on holiday I often happily unplug for weeks at a time.
Perhaps the way to look at it is 'having all your eggs in one basket'. If your business relies on internet connectivity to function; you bank online; your phone is via internet and the only way you keep up socially is via Facebook etc, then I would say that is becoming 'over dependent on internet as technology'.
The point is, what would you do if for some reason you were not able to connect for a week or two. Are you resourcful enough to find other ways or do you panic, throw your hands in the air and come to a standstill. What degree of inconvenience would it casue you. The more yu use it, the more you come to need it.
I do wonder how a younger generation would react without conncetion for any extended time. Those currenlty in their teens and younger who have never lived in a world without the interent, google, or MSN, online games, for instance.
How many have physically visited a library, bookshop, museum instead of google search for homework? I think they may be more vunerable to over reliance on the internet as they don't know any different.
Are we over dependent on the internet?
No, we are not "over" dependent on the internet any more than we are "over" dependent on electricity, telephones, or the automobile.
And, that's Good!
The internet simply represents progress. Based on TCP/IP, the internet is actually quite robust and not likely to be disrupted on a major scale - even with deliberate attacks. Of course that doesn't imply we be complacent. We must continue to be aware of and fend off any and all cyberattacks.
Think of the alternative - Africa. Africa as a nation is practically unconnected to the grid. Yet its' population is among the poorest and most under-developed in the world. Ditto for may parts of Latin America, and large swaths of India and China. In those less modernized parts of the world, standards of living are lowest.
Here is a map that shows the "number of IP addresses per dot" and is fairly representative of the developed vs. underdeveloped areas around the world. http://www.ipligence.com/worldmap/
What I'd love to see is a map overlay of GDP per capita over a map with the Internet users per capita.
______________________________________
As to spending time without the internet:
For work - Zero. My work would suffer incredibly without the internet. Then again I wouldn't get much work down without a telephone either. And, if the electricity went out - well, it's time to go home.
In my personal life - Maybe a week or so, especially if I was on an out of the way vacation.
_________________________________
Michael Davis
http://Brencom.com
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People only become dependent on things when they trust them too much and the information they are receiving. I agree the Internet has become more like a utility much like electricty and our society will become even more dependent on it in the future. But are we overly dependent on it? Maybe, maybe not.
As far as the basic infrastructure such as the wireless networks and cables that provide access --- these things are fallible but for the most part reliable and repairable.
Content is a completely different issue.
I do not think it is wise for businesses or people to trust the integrity of their decision-making process based upon information they find online. People can say anything and create content shielding their legal identity with online identities and say whatever they want about anyone or anything.
The thing companies and people should really be concerned about is people becoming more sophisticated with regards to how this technology will affect their reputations and "branding" efforts. People who are mean to other people, unprofessional, incompetent and irresponsible with their treatement of others used to be able to hide behind titles, money and companies. Now the average person has access to sharing their experiences with people via an anonymous social networking profile, blog or group posting which is the equivalent of the Medieval peasantry learning how to read with the advent of the Gutenberg Press bringing books and ultimately literacy to the masses.
There will be complete shift in the perceptual paradigm that governs how we view each other in a "professional" setting. Our electronic histories are more accessible than our credit histories and with current technologies will follow us our entire lives. The next generation of workers will have spent their entire lives with the Internet, perhaps having the misadventures of their youth youtubed, myspaced, blogged or archived in some sort of online group posting. The stale image of people being mindless workers with casual Friday personalities will shatter in light of all the information we have the potential to know about people.
And because we have allowed ourselves to become dependent on the Internet we will have to deal with the ramifications to our social institutions, laws and way we do business. Too many people are making too much money for the Internet to go away and it will be here. The key is to know how to use the internet and to have a backup plan in case it does not work for whatever reason.
But do know, today's Internet is far, far different than we could have ever imagined with enormous potential and challenges. I would advise people to learn how it works and to not discount the value of traditional relationship building in both professional and personal dealings.
Some people are overly dependent on it, some not dependent enough.
John C
Global Programme Coordinator- Raising Her Voice at Oxfam
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Hi Gaurav,
I think the answer to your question depends on who you mean by "we". For people in the developed world - and in some sectors in developing countries - we increasingly assume that everyone has internet access and it is increasingly rare to fine people who are not "online" in some way or another. This trend is increasing and I believe that in a few years we won't really know whether we are online or not. The internet will simply "be there" and we will be connected to it in some way or other all the time.
That said, about 2.5 billion people live on less than US$2/day and a large part of this lives on less than US£1/day. These people are so far away from this connected digitial world that it might as well be on Mars.
So rather than making the world flat, I feel that at the moment, it is increasing divisions. The "digital divide" is getting bigger by the moment.
I feel a real challenge is how to use some of the technologies for poverty alleviation. Mobile technologies offer a way forward. The last time I was in Darfur, I managed to pick up a mobile network - amazing - so if access is possible and affordable (another challenge), then there is a chance to use technology for good.
Interesting question!
Charles C
Founder at Community Commerce Centers
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In the case of the Internet in its present form we might be more smitten with the Internet than dependent on the Internet. We live in a time when most people think of the Internet as the World Wide Web and forget that there is much more to the Internet than just the World Wide Web. The Internet, which began to reach utilization beyond the academic and defense communities in the mid to late nineties of the twentieth century and more general utilization as a medium for information exchange and selling soon after the beginning of the twenty-first century, is a new technology yet to establish its full use and potential. Like other new technologies that have come to market the Internet found early use in a form that relied on earlier perceived uses for such technology without fully realizing untapped ways to use the new technology. In its present form the Internet still operates in the realm of a child's "show and tell" exercise when it could be operating in the grownup realm of active and integral part of the business workplace.
Sure we like the "show and tell" aspects of the Internet, but the impact has not yet reached the point where we can truly say we are dependent on the Internet. Consider the following:
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Today, there is one epoch-making idea that is transforming how we conduct business. It will change business irrevocably, yet most businesses have yet to perceive it, let alone understand it or adopt it. The idea is electronic business, often known as e-business. The 'e' will soon be dropped and e-business will be business as it comes to be generally understood. (Patrick King and Joe Clift - Financial Times, 1999 - See Link Below)
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When the Internet reaches the level of sophistication where the "e" is dropped from "e-business" we will have reached the point where the Internet is an active and integral part of the business workplace. I actually think we should be working towards that goal rather than finding new ways to put a new suit of clothes on a website and call it "new and improved". At the point where the "e" is dropped from "e-business" we will be at a point where location is no longer as important as the connection to the Internet.
I recently released a system that puts virtually every office worker much closer to the point where the "e" is dropped from "e-business". With the system the workplace is redefined in a way that enables workers to have a maximum commute of 3-5 miles regardless of where they live or their employer. Workers benefit by saving time and money that would be wasted on a longer commute, and in the process they are able to live virtually anywhere and be able to spend more time with their family and neighbors. Employers benefit by realizing increased worker productivity due to workers being less stressed by their commute and by saving money on the cost of providing office space and support services. Communities benefit through lower taxes and revitalized properties that would otherwise be either vacant or underutilized. In addition, employers would receive carbon credits for their participation in the system. Ultimately the system provides a prescription for climate change relief and a stimulus for sluggish economies around the world.
For more information on the system look at the link included with this response.
Links:
More Answers (35)
I would have to say that yes, we are overly dependent on it. Just imagine the chaos that would insue if the internet "went down" for even a single day. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing because it would be extremely difficult to destroy or bring down the entire internet. I think as long as the lack of internet access is temporary and isolated then people can live without it. It's only when the access is lost for an extended period of time or affects a large geographic area (like a whole city) that it would become a more serious concern.
Les D
Software Quality Assurance Lead
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yes, internet should be added to essential technologies like power grid, refineries and petro pipelines, water and sewage and telephones.
I would say that there are still significant portions of the population that do not directly depend, but many firms that supply and finance do.
Keep in mind, that we are very dependent creatures, having invented clothes, canned goods and such to get us by. If we go backwards, millions die... sometimes called a Red Queens race, from Alice in Wonderland, you have to move faster and faster just to stay in one place.
Personally, the max I have gone with out internet in the last few years is 5 days but I used the networked auto tellers twice that week. Private wires but nominally in my mind still part of the internet universe.
YES! How many days were we able to go without our phone with internet capabilities? I think many of us in the real world cannot live without our phones and at least a Wi-Fi hotspot. I know this because I took both of these things with me on vacation and will continue to do so. The internet provides us with updates and current information about what's going on in the world today. These are things people consider as the news rather than watching tv in the afternoon or during morning because most of us do not have the time for breakfast anymore. It's a way of life for most, so love it as it is.
No.
One might as well ask whether the business realm is over dependent on currency, or whether farming is overdependent mechanisation.
Certainly business is harder, and far less efficient, without a tradeable currency. Before that invention economic growth was measured in centuries, not quarters.
Likewise without mechanisation we could not produce enough food to feed the planet (perhaps we already can not achieve that feat!)
The Internet is an indispensable aid to modern life, especially in the business realm, there is no denying that - but at a personal level people OPT to be at the beck and mercy of their blackberry.
Could 1.319 billion people be wrong?
(from Wikipedia: "As of December 30, 2007, 1.319 billion people use the Internet according to Internet World Stats")
The Internet has gradually become about as much a utility service as electrical power, plumbing, heating/cooling, the telephone and getting rid of trash.
Would society be able to survive without any of these?
Probably, but I guess society would become a very different place, one that most of us would find hard to live in.
The Internet is an extremely resilient network with many alternate routes and services - maybe with exception of the last mile and even that is likely to change.
However, I can't help wondering if a massive denial-of-service attack by a swarm of virus infected home PC's could make the Internet hard to use.
And, it all is vulnerable because of its dependency on electrical power ...
In spite of some governments attempts to filter traffic and to control the distribution of undesired political content, I believe the Internet to be the most democratic medium the world has ever seen, and that our high level of reliance on certain services (e.g. Google) is completely driven by user demand.
If a better service were to appear or an existing service were to do a poor job, the Internet community would quickly move to alternate sources for that service.
Wouldn't that naturally keep us from becoming over dependent of any single source of information or service?
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I would not call it as over dependent but an evolution, as we (Humans) developed, we started adopting things/developments as integrated part of our life and Internet is the one. For example, vehicles, hotels, restaurants, sports, electricity, medicines, air conditioner, radio, TV, etc. We never or may be people had thoughts of but could not express as there was no internet then. I am sure, for lot of us internet has already become the same integrated part of life. Also, down the line after a few years/decades we would start adopting new development like Space/Virtual reality/May be something beyond our imagination.
Hey Gaurav,
From a commercial perspective most of the world’s leading companies are generating huge revenues online. From a personal perspective emailing, instant messaging, online shopping, networking are becoming more are more important. The importance will continue to grow.
So to your question – is this over dependence and is it good or bad? The answer is the same as for the question: “Is the invention of the wheel and our dependence there on good or bad?”
The difference between the vulnerability of the technologies makes this question more relevant; “Is our dependence on a vulnerable technology such as the internet good or bad?” The simple answer is yes – hence the need to make it more redundant and to understand how to use it better.
James
Like all good technologies internet is now become so embedded in our daily routines that we no longer see it any different than a telly, or a landline phone. This is what is called the network economy. And I think it is a wonderful platform for a wide range of activites that would never have been possible in a convential world before the internet. I think we have all already embraced it so it is a more a question how better to use it, or perhaps how better to make it more useful than a question whether we are dependant or it or not.
Yes. I like to say that my computer is broken when the internet is down. That being most of what I do on the computer. But now is a different time.
Now we have our phone via internet and my whole workspace is via the internet. If the internet is down at home so is our phone and my ability to connect to correct any server issues we have at our data center. While at work we are just dead in the water without the internet. The place is shut down.
So indeed we are over dependant on the internet. But we are on our cars too!
The key past of the question is the word OVERLY and that implies more than we should be and in that case I would have to say definitely no.
We are as dependant as we need to be on the Internet as we are with many things in our daily lives, as has already been pointed out that is neither good or bad it is merely a process of evolution,
If it was not around we would miss it but then again we do so from a position of hindsight, if it was not there then I’m sure we would just be doing things differently..
In respect of would I miss it if it was not around? absolutely yes, it is a key part of my personal and professional and life but then again so is my mobile phone……..
Remi O
IT Security & Compliance Specialist
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Dependent: yes, over dependent: no. It's a tool that makes tasks easier. It would be silly for someone to strain away from it, if its available. It's hard to stay competitive and afloat without using all the tools that are necessary. Are there companies that were brought down to their knees by the internet? Probably, but for one of those there are thousands where internet helped manage the costs, and be more efficient. Judging from the cost to benefit aspect, it's a no brainer... virtually dirt cheap, and advanced enough to virtually help with any task.
Luigi M
CTO at Interact
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Internet should be used as a medium to reach our own goals. The most important thing is to keep using our brains to transform data into information.
Nipa S
We help you launch your own online marketing company - low investment, no royalties, no geographic boundaries
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Hi Gaurav,
No, we are not over dependent. Technology is an integral part of what we do and how we do it. Technology is an enabler, not a dependency. What you do with the technology is up to you.
If you are checking email while driving (I don't do that anymore - lol), inching to download email even when you are enjoying a party with close friends on a Saturday night (used to do that too), can't enjoy a good book without feeling as if the world is going to stop if you don't answer that last email of the day, then you ARE overly dependent.
Honestly speaking, I am a workaholic. However I am also very outgoing and social. Once I decided to stop checking emails on weekends and planning a night out each week with my best friend (my hubby), it got very easy. I'm a techie, I love my tech tools (note I didn't say tech toys) but I view them just like I view a car - taking me places and connecting me to those whom I cannot connect without them.
Clarification added May 1, 2008:
Nipa Shah - President
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Yes, I use it all the time. It is the best research tool in my life. I hate to admit that, and it's the truth. What I keep in mind is, because it's on the internet, clearly does not make it true. I've hear people say "I saw it on the Internet." They forget to say they picked it up on the same site that says we've been invaded by aliens.
Such great tidbits of information I've picked up on the Internet are:
Info about Box Jellyfish, SAP Recruiters, The Napoleanic Wars, Information about Benjamin Franklin, Sea Snakes, Strategic Enterprise Solutions and other significant information concerning my business, which manufacturer makes what product, the ever present email process and the voting record for my congressman and senator. Additionally, I picked up information about how to get a face to face meeting with my Congressman, which I have today at noon? Anything you'd like me to say? By the way, if you think these officials arn't doing anything you'd be wrong. The problem is we only hear about it when they do things we don't like or vote theimselves a raise. Which, probably like you, aggravates me.
Rick S
Experienced editor, content strategist, journalist, Certified Professional Resume Writer
Without a doubt, yes. I think that goes for any society- or culture-changing technology we've witnessed over the last century; just think of the car and television before the commercial birth of the Internet. It has become so ingrained in our lives that we become dependent on having all the information we want anywhere, anytime.
But while we rely heavily on the Internet, we also need to realize that there are limits. If you can successfully discipline yourself, you can prevent the type of over-dependence that can put personal relationships at risk.
Hamlet K
Technologist, Finance Management/Sales, Information Architect
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It is almost a utility and it is on it's way to becoming one. I'm not sure the question actually makes much sense. Are we over dependent on cars? Are we over dependent on regular land-line phones? Are we over dependent on airplanes for easy travel? Are we over dependent on petroleum and other necessities to live our modern lives? The internet is along the same lines.
It is a necessary utility in the world we live in. Remove it and it's like removing an ERP system from a fortune 500 company. The fortune 500 company would be in utter chaos immediately. Would it survive? Probably.
A global pool of knowledge and instant communication are it's benefits. But it's important to remember how to manually do things as well. Similar to a math class in which the calculator can be used to do long divison and the algorithm is hidden inside the small IC. One should still know the algorithm for long division for manual calculations. :)
I can see everyone's point that says an emphatic YES, however, internet connectivity has become so pervasive that having internet in your house is now pretty much the same as having a phone in your house... be it land line or otherwise. It's one of those things that you wonder how you ever got along without it, and that while not 100% reliable (what is), it's reliable enough that people feel comfortable relying on it. And as a communications medium, it far exceeds the capabilities of the phone.
Yes. We are. And we are getting more dependent every day. We don't even realize how much internet and technology in general has permeated our lives. I am attending an interesting conference, TiEcon 2008 "Entrepreneurship Unbounded", on May 16-17 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. I hope to learn all about the new ideas and products out there which will continue to make us even more dependent on the internet and technology. If anyone plans to attend, use the promo code 'NETWORK' to get a 50% discount. Learn more at www.tiecon.org
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We have certainly become dependent on internet -- just as we have become dependent on clean water, sewage treatment, electricity, heating, air conditioning and every other technology that we have have developed since emerging out of darkness of our caves.
At one time books were rare, and possessed by only by a privileged few. Knowledge was controlled by a ruling elite, and withheld from the ignorant masses. But an obscure German goldsmith in 1450 developed a move-able type system that allowed mass production of books. And the world hasn't been the same since. Suddenly, knowledge was available to the unwashed masses. New ideas about religion, government and science set the world on fire, and fundamentally changed our way of life forever. Knowledge is power.
I see the internet as yet another evolutionary step in our quest for knowledge. I would argue that knowledge is always good. As humans we are wired to accumulate knowledge, make inferences, to make discoveries and ultimately improve ourselves and our environment. It is what makes us human.
Dependent? Sure. It is a good thing!
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Great question Gaurav!
It made me asked myself the question, "What purpose does the Internet as a technology serve in my day-to-day routine?"
1) Communication - Yahoo Messenger, AIM, GTalk
2) Connection - LinkedIn, ITToolBox, Facebook
3) Collaboration - User groups
4) Lifelong learning - Online resource portals, blogs
The answer is yes, I've grown to be quite dependent on the Internet. Despite this dependency, I still practice the archaic tradition of reading books and magazines, hosting brainstorming sessions in person, and picking up the phone to exchange ideas and ask questions.
Yes, I cannot function at work without the internet. From a sales perpective, without the interent, I would have no access to our online database of contact's phone #'s, no e-mail, and no way to research companies while such an interent outage occurs. Essentially, I need 100% uptime to perform my duties at work.
Ghada R
Business Intelligence, Financial Reporting, Data Quality
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Gaurav,
Yes, I think we are over dependent on the internet technology. It is like everything else that humans got used to and it is a necessity now. For example, the cell phone, the digital cameras, laptops, etc..
We got used to have those luxuries around us and made them necessities. How long can I live without internet? If I run an online business then the tolerance level is almost zero; however, at a personal level I wouldn't mind a day or two or even a week without checking my email. I think I can get the internet out of my system if I got to be long enough without it - usually it is said to be 21 days to establish a habit :-)
Ya,
I think it is entering every facet of life. And as much as I would not like to call it, overdependence, the truth is that it is one single stop for all modern needs of today.!!
David A
Outsourcing and Call Center Consulting Guru
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I could spend a few days max. I am not a big googler, but my need for the various forms of instant communication are legendary to my friends.
