中学部  焦云

It is generally accepted that the Internet has exerted a great impact on different aspects of our society and economy. With the advent of the Internet, we entered the information age and our life was changed enormously ever since. We began to enjoy the abundance, and the rapid and easy access of information. At the same time, we were perplexed about how we could take the most advantage of the Internet while avoid the potential harm caused by the Internet.

One advantage of the Internet is the abundance and easy access of information. With the access to the Internet, we virtually have the whole world of information. Type in one keyword in google.com, click the mouse, and we will be overwhelmed by the search results—the links of millions of web pages will be listed in front of you in one or two seconds. With the Internet, we can get the most updated news, weather forecast, stock exchange information, train and flight schedules, and so on. In one word, without even stepping outside our door, we can get whatever information we need.

With this abundance of information, our life was made easier. For example, when we are writing a paper on some topic, we do not need to go to the library for books, journals, or magazines. We just visit certain Internet-based electronic database and all the needed information will be displayed in front of us with several clicks of the mouse. If we want to share our information with other people, we no longer need the regular snail mail, which may take days to deliver the information to the destination. Electronic mail can send our information out in a matter of seconds to people who are thousands of miles away.

Although the Internet has brought a lot of convenience to our life, we must bear in mind that it has also its drawbacks which can cause us troubles as well. Because of the abundance of information, we have to take time to sort useful information from spam. Because of the ease of transmitting information through the Internet, a lot of annoying and harmful information was also put on the Internet. Every one of us may have experienced the frustration caused by the pop-up advertisement when browsing webpages. Computer virus is another potential hazard that can cause harm to our computer and headache to us Internet users. Also, some unhealthy information, such as pornography, may cause harm to kids as well as adults.

To conclude, the Internet has ushered in the information age and it brought convenience to our life. However, every coin has two sides. We must bear in mind that only proper use of the Internet can bring us the most advantage and reduce the potential hazards caused by the Internet.