Do you agree or disagree with the following statement? “Overall, the widespread use of the internet has a mostly positive effect on life in today’s world.” Use reasons and details to support your opinion.

Most

people

agree that modern technology affects society in many different ways. In my opinion, access to the

Internet

is enormously beneficial to both individuals and communities as a whole. I feel

this

way for two reasons, which I will explore in the following essay.

To begin

with, online investigative reporting helps to expose political corruption and keep politicians honest. In the past, there were only a limited number of news outlets, which often had deep connections to powerful politicians.

As a result

, they were extremely hesitant to criticize them. These days,

however

, there are many independent publications on the

Internet

that are willing to expose political misbehaviour.

For example

, an online magazine recently published a story revealing that the mayor of my hometown had taken bribes from a property developer. The report was so detailed and well-researched that the mayor had no choice but to resign.

Although

the evidence was not difficult to locate, only

this

independent website was willing to write about it.

This

example demonstrates how the

Internet

helps to strengthen democracy in the modern world.

Secondly

,

people

are more motivated than ever to become politically active because they can freely exchange ideas online. In countries all over the globe,

people

use social networking services to share their ideas and opinions.

While

in the past

people

might have thought that they were alone in their beliefs, today they realize that others share their ideas. My own experience demonstrates

this

concept. When I was a university student, I learned that a municipal

park

near my apartment was going to be demolished to make room for a massive parking lot.

This

bothered me a lot because I enjoyed spending my free time in the

park

. At

first,

I thought that there was nothing that I, as an individual, could do to stop

this

from happening.

However

, I later joined a Facebook group dedicated to opposing the plan. When the members of the group learned how many

people

in the city loved the

park

we were happy to get together and enthusiastically protest in front of city hall until our voices were heard. I am convinced that finding each other on that social networking platform gave us the courage to actively protect our

park

. In conclusion, I strongly believe that the

Internet

has a positive effect on our lives.

This

is because online journalism strengthens our democracy and because social networking sites encourage

people

to get involved in local politics.