The Internet has dramatically altered our lives over the past few decades. Although some of these changes have been negative, the overall effect of this technology has been positive. What are your opinions on this?

The

Internet

has brought significant changes to our lives in recent years. Yet, there remains some disagreement as to whether the

overall

effect of

this

technology has been positive or negative.

While

there are certainly valid arguments to the contrary, I personally believe that the benefits of the

Internet

far outweigh its drawbacks. These benefits are twofold. First of all, it is an indisputable fact that the

Internet

has revolutionized the way we communicate. Despite the risk of social isolation – a problem occasionally seen in people who spend too much time at their computer terminal rather than relating to people in the real world – most of us have benefited greatly from e-mail and

internet

chat programs like MSN Messenger. These incredibly useful and powerful tools of communication facilitate both contact with loved ones in faraway places and global trade. Equally importantly, though, the

Internet

has placed the entire

word

Correct your spelling

world

show examples

(and all of the

information

in it) at our fingertips. In earlier times, conducting research entailed long hours searching library shelves. Now,

however

, the same

information

can be accessed at the click of a button. Admittedly, not all of the

information

available on the

Internet

is reliable or helpful – there is a vast amount of material online that some would consider offensive or dangerous, ranging from pornography to instructions on how to make bombs.

Nonetheless

, I would contend that

this

free flow of

information

has generally been a very positive development. By way of conclusion, I once again reaffirm my position that the

Internet

has had a positive impact on modern life because of its influence on communication and the flow of

information