Internet Advantages And Disadvantages Of Internet – An Information Superhighway With Many A Roadblock

Internet advantages and disadvantages of Internet are two sides of the same coin. Internet has, rightly, been called the information superhighway, and as cynics would add, but with many roadblocks. There are always positives and negatives to everything. And so, it is with the Internet, too. Internet, a Defense Department funded research project, has today become the most potent communications tool, changing the way we used to communicate.

Could anyone have predicted that the communication system, designed for military use, would one day rule the civilian roost? Internet, with its virtually unlimited advantages, is a source of a vast wealth of knowledge and information. But like every good thing, it has a flip side too.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly

Most people agree that Internet has become a part of our everyday lives. Some embrace it while others spurn it. Some Internet advantages, though not exhaustive, are:

• Communication through E-mail, instant messaging and on-line chats
• An inexhaustive source of information and research materials
• A powerful marketing tool, accessible 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year
• A cost effective way for small businesses to promote their product
• On-line banking
• Reservations in hotels, airlines etc
• Information on conferences, market information, online discussion forums, new ideas, and technical support
• Buy or sell products
• Multimedia capability


Disadvantages of Internet, too, are many:

• Pornography. Easy access to information makes it an area of concern for parents. Children can easily be exposed to inappropriate materials and unwanted attention of sexual predators.
• Intrusiveness. One of the downside of Internet is the unsolicited invasiveness in our lives. Users surfing the net get bombarded with pop-up ads, which is quite distracting. Emails get hit by spams from unscrupulous advertisers.
• Virus. Computers getting infected by various viruses, which completely take over their system and destroy their entire hard drives.
• The flip side to Internet marketing is, being taken for a ride by unscrupulous businesses, selling cheap or fake products.
• Misuse of credit card information.


Despite all the terrible disadvantages of Internet, the advantages of Internet, in fact, far overweigh its negatives. The Internet is here to stay and one must learn how to negotiate it, skillfully, to one’s benefit.