The Internet owes the credit of presenting the world as a global village. It has brought the entire planet earth to our rooms. Gone are the days when an event in A corner of the world remained unknown to those in the Z area when we had to perspire in long queues and take an off from the days work to get our bills deposited when long-distance calls were the only mode to communicate with those dwelling thousands of miles away, when exams would not just commence without the invigilators around and businesses across the seas were a cumbersome task. Now from payments or investments to education or exams, everything is possible through the Internet while relaxing on your couch. Thus the Internet has changed our lifestyles, altered our parameters, and has given us new horizons to achieve.
The foremost worldwide use of the Internet is in acquiring information. The task is well accomplished with the aid of remarkable search engines such as Goggle, Yahoo, and others. These search engines display the requisite details the moment you enter the topic of research in the box and click on the search button. The variety of search engines that exist nowadays on the World Wide Web have information regarding any and every field of study like medicine, astronomy, philosophy, mythology, and so forth. You can play and even gain knowledge about popular casino games, their rules, and strategies via the Internet. Along with the home page and other linked chapters of the site what flashes on screen are different types of advertisements from various sources? For instance “Click here and you will be a millionaire”, “ensure your investments in safe hands through…” etc. Well, these are all marketing techniques that many companies opt for.
So, besides education, the Internet is also a wonderful hub to business. Numerous companies market themselves globally through the channel of the Internet. Though not all the companies receive loads of contracts yet most often they are not left barehanded. But advertising online is not as simple as it seems. The Interactive Advertising Bureau devises certain norms or standards, to be followed by all the Internet advertising companies. In 2004, IAB had created rules for the pop-ups that appear on the screen. Similarly, laws are also formulated for e-mail advertising like unsolicited commercial e-mail must not be sent, etc.
The Internet is an upcoming mode for the sale and purchase of stocks and for making investments too. The Dot-com bubble signifies a surge in the stocks and investments pertaining to the internet. Amazon.com, eBay, and other big companies have the onus of incredible gush in the Dot-com bubble. The bubble blew more due to an increase in stocks and share prices. However, this tremendous upsurge had an undesired downfall when the companies overestimated their potential and their expenses superseded their incomes. In the Internet world, this came to be known as the bursting of the Dot-com bubble.
The money so earned through e-business can be invested in e-shopping. While chilling out at home you can take a look at the spectrum of items available online. From beach sandals to laptops and mobile phones, everything is available on the net for sale. The Internet also brings at your doorstep numerous auctions where you can display your items and take home many others.
But internet security i.e. viruses etc. remains an issue of concern for the users as well as for the internet authorities. Though there are anti-virus software and their updates yet pop-ups, spam’s, etc. fetch virus with them. Moreover, banking through the internet has the risk of theft. Thieves catch your Wifi (wireless local area network) by presenting some phony networks. The user gets confused and avails of this network to manipulate their accounts. Thieves trace these networks and the entire information gets stolen. So users are requested to be very particular about the network to which you connect, avoid checking your account through wireless Wifi network, and close the browser window once you are through with your online payments, etc. and last but not the least use ambiguous passwords to ensure safety.